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GUEST SPEAKER: Now good morning,
Navajo Environmental Agency

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members.

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Given the proposed
revitalization

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of the nuclear power
industry and the hints

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that uranium mining might be
revitalized in the region,

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there's a growing concern
amongst the agency members

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regarding what this means
for us, especially given

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the controversy of historical
precedence happened

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in this area in the 1960s.

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I'm here today to explain,
amongst the various measures

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that we are implementing, why
local knowledge should be given

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serious consideration
and why the,

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and why we should
actually be involving

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the local members of community
in the process of developments

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of uranium mining.

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Now firstly, the involvement
of local knowledge

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improves and enriches
the scientific process.

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Problem framing is an
inherently subjective process,

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and it's not something that
science can't solve on its own.

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When we look at, what
exactly are the problems,

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who are the people who are
exactly going to be affected,

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and what do they think about it?

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These are questions that don't
lie in science, but rather

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in the people.

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And that's why we must
move away from thinking

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about a positivist
view of science,

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that science holds all the
answers, and involve the people

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and what they think about it.

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And secondly, we understand
from many stories in history

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that science is
inherently uncertain.

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There are uncertainties
involved in quantifying effects

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of various measures.

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There are uncertainties
involved in determining

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what impacts that a particular
activity, in this case, uranium

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mining, will have on
the future generations.

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And therefore, look and one
brings in an important element

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that science is not able to.

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And this is ultimately patterns
and trends in time and space

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that people live
in the area have

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been observing over decades
and over a large area.

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Ultimately, if you
bring in scientists

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to examine their environmental
impact of uranium mining, what

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will be captured
often tends to be

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a screen shot, a
shot in time of what

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actually is going to happen.

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Whereas these people have
had the benefits of decades

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of experience, and
they will be able

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tell us what's most likely to
happen over time and space.

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And lastly, democratization--

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The uranium mining activities
that are being taken

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do not involve only the
scientists or only the industry

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members but also the people.

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And it's important to ensure
that their views are being

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heard and are being
taken into account

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in the scientific process.

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Of course, there will be
opposition to such views.

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Firstly, people might
say that in the past,

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the reason for these problem
were that proper rules

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and regulations were ignored,
and the adverse impacts were

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actually minimal.

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I would argue that the
reason why proper rules

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and regulations were ignored is
the fact that these people were

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not actually involved in the
development of these rules

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and regulations.

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And also, there is
a false dichotomy

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between scientific knowledge
and local knowledge that

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actually, where people
think that scientists

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are the only ones
that are qualified

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to come up with good science.

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Whereas people who have not
been trained in this area

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would not be able to do so.

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Studies have shown in history
that a lot of this view

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actually stems from
the fact that people

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aren't used to the language
and the technical terms used

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in science.

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But when that
barrier is crossed,

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that people, given
their critical thinking

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skills and their
reasoning skills,

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are equally able as
trained scientists

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to be able to contribute
to the discussion.

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So ultimately, how should we
ensure that local knowledge is

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taken seriously?

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How should we incorporate this?

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This involves a mindset shift.

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Local knowledge does not seek
to supplant scientific knowledge

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but rather strengthen it.

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We need to move away
from this false dichotomy

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and allow locals and
scientists to sit at the table

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as equals, not because they
are equally good at something,

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but because they bring different
things to the table that

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are of equal value.

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We also would like to recommend
that boundary workers be

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searched for and
hired to actually take

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part in this process-- "boundary
workers" meaning people that

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are not only able to
communicate with those

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on the scientific
side of the boundary

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but also with the local
side of the boundary.

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These might be
people, locals who

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have been trained
in science and who

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not only understand the
scientific culture but also

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the local culture.

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At the same time, people,
just because something

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is local knowledge does
not mean that it is right.

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So in that sense,
high standards have

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to be expected of the
presentation and gathering

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of local knowledge, not in
terms of the use of very

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formal technical language, but
in terms of critical thinking

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and reasoning.

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And only when these scientific
standard, these high standards

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are enforced on
our local knowledge

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will they be taken
seriously by the scientists.

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And ultimately,
this entire process

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is as much a cultural process
is it is a scientific process.

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It's not just about the
scientific methods that we use,

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but also in terms of leveraging
the cultural and social

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elements inherent
in the community.

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For example, we might look
at the social hierarchy

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in different regions.

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And this varies, actually,
from community to community,

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from town to town.

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Is there a central
figure of trust that we

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can bring into the discussion?

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Do we have to forge
unity between both locals

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and the scientists?

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And are there certain
social practices

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that might need to be
avoided or adhered to

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in terms of working, or getting
locals and scientists to work

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together?

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So ultimately, our
agency's role is

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to avoid the events that
happened in the 1960s.

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And I believe that
one way of doing that

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is to actually bring
in local knowledge.

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Not as a form of opposition
to what the scientists have

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been doing, but as enhancement
to their work, to enrich it

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and to ensure that whatever
solution is worked out

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is in the best interest of both
the community and the industry.

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Thank you.