The Militarization of American Science

• In Event: 378 - Regular Session. Sociology of Science

Abstract

This paper examines the intimate relationship between U.S. science and the U.S. Department of Defense. The specific case in point is climate change research, but the argument offered here is intended to relate to many areas of science, not just environmental science. The first half of the paper identifies several features of the U.S. military-science complex, and shows how the United States compares to other countries in the extent of the military funding of science. The second half of the paper explores the influence of the militarization of science on climate change research. Some of the consequences of militarized U.S. climate science include an increasing characterization of climate change as a “national security” problem and a fascination with large-scale interventions into the global climate system.

Author

• Joane Nagel, University of Kansas