Scientific Integrity at Stake: Assessing Acid Rain in the 1980s

In 1980, the U.S. National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) was created to assess the causes and effects of acid precipitation, and to provide information relevant for policy making. The first NAPAP result—the 1987 Interim assessment—proved highly controversial. This paper examines why, and addresses the question of how scientists assess scientific knowledge and cope with uncertainty when their assessment is embedded in an overtly political debate.