Citizen science to combat distrust in science

What is it about?

In this perspective article, we describe the benefits of citizen science initiatives and ways they can increase scientific literacy of Brazilians and improve public attitudes towards science. We discuss the potential advantages of creating a federal bureau of citizen science, especially as a supporting body for current and future citizen science initiatives, helping the country to comply with international agreements and UN goals, reinstating the failing trust in science, and improving the access of minorities to scientific collaboration. All these benefits can help to recover the role of science to support environmental and public health policies with global consequences.

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Photo by Product School on Unsplash

Photo by Product School on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Is climate crisis a fantasy? Is biodiversity really decreasing? These and similar questions raised by denialists oppose scientific facts thereby confuse members of the public and harm public policies. Converting citizens into citizen scientists is a powerful way of building well-structured ideas and combat distrust in science. By taking part in a scientific project, laypersons can understand that the produced knowledge is not merely a random abstraction of a professional scientist. Therefore, scientific citizenship is essential to improve the way society perceives science and implements science-based policies. We advocate for the creation of a federal citizen science bureau in Brazil to support participatory knowledge production initiatives, which can increase public acceptance of science, environmental protection, and compliance with international agreements for UN objectives.

Perspectives