Standing Up for Science: A Conversation with Gina McCarthy
By Phillip Murray
In February 2016, Gina McCarthy, then the 13th Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), joined the Voices in Leadership series to talk about the measured steps that the Obama administration was taking to become a global leader for environmental safety. On April 26, 2017, she returned to the Leadership Studio to talk to Dr. Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, on policy changes that have occurred since her last visit. The new administration’s “vastly different priorities about the environment” have led to concerns among scientists, which manifested in the recent March for Science. Organized to “to defend the role of science in policy and society” in more than 600 cities around the world, The March for Science was the perfect place for someone like McCarthy, with a long successful career of working at the intersection of science and policy, to speak at. Since leaving the EPA, McCarthy has joined Harvard in a dual role — as a Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow teaching a course on environmental health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School, and as an Institute of Politics Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. Connecting to the audience with her straightforward demeanor and distinct and familiar Boston accent, she offered words of reassurance to the crowd. Emanating the confidence of a political official with the knowledge of a scientist, she educated attendees on the importance of engaging at the intersection of both, saying that “it takes a very long time for a government to change its direction.”
McCarthy speaks from experience — her decades long career has allowed her to inform policies on an international scale. She has served under five Massachusetts administrations of both parties, and was the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. She started working with the EPA in 2009, and was promoted to Administrator in 2013. During her time as EPA Administrator, she enacted the Climate Action Plan which set specific standards for to preserve the environment. This established the U.S. as a leader that was dedicated to ensuring the successful launch of the Paris Climate Agreement. McCarthy beamed with pride as she talked about the Climate Agreement, saying,
“The excitement leaving there — I was in a plane I’m telling you, we were flying 1,500 miles above wherever that plane was. It was just exciting.”
The Agreement was ratified by 195 countries, setting international standards and providing a platform for countries to innovate on climate change. Now, the U.S. is considering leaving the agreement, and McCarthy acknowledged this as a result of the politicization of science. Polls show this is especially true about climate change, where the consensus of its veracity is split along party lines. She emphasized that climate change is a bipartisan issue, but admitted that scientists have an important role to play. She reflected,
“Science is getting caught up now in this partisanship in a way that it wasn’t before. Scientists are perhaps the only ones that can stand up and speak to these issues with the clarity and with the authority that we need right now.”
Still, she advised scientists to be aware of their audience, and to focus on communicating in a way that the public and politicians can understand. She also highlighted roles for stakeholders outside of the federal government — the private sector and states. She referenced business leaders supporting the Paris Agreement because of its economic benefit, and that states, regardless of political affiliation, are starting to adopt clean energy practices based on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. She described the program as auctioning allowances to subsidize alternative sources of energy. This has been enacted by various states, resulting in alternative fuel being able to compete with more traditional sources of energy. She highlighted that this policy has been adopted by states led by officials of both major political parties.
At the end of the conversation, McCarthy was asked by Dr. Koh if she had any advice for her more junior colleagues in the audience. McCarthy responded by emphasizing the importance of surrounding oneself with different opinions and talking to others, warning about the limited utility of similar opinions. She ended with words of advice when contemplating career decisions, challenging attendees,
“If you want to make a difference with your life, go where your strengths are. Know what your capabilities are, and get a job that tests those capabilities, that asks you to do a little bit more than you ever thought you could.”
It is clear she has stretched herself throughout her decorated career. This approach has reaped dividends, and provided an example that all of us would be wise to follow.
For more from the Voices in Leadership (@VoicesHSPH) series at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (@HarvardHSPH), visitwww.hsph.harvard.edu/voices.
Story by Phillip Murray, a physician who is interested in delivery systems and minority health policy and is pursuing a Master of Public Health in Health Policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Story edited by Sohini Mukherjee, a first year student in the Master of Science program in Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
