Italian Scientists Found Guilty
WHAT: On April 6th, 2009, there was a 6.3
magnitude earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy. The region has a long history of
earthquakes and the citizens of L’Aquila usually sleep outside during times
when there are small tremors. However, for this earthquake people stayed inside
and 309 people died. The community had heard reports from the nation’s
scientists that it was unlikely a large earthquake would occur. Six Italian
scientists and one ex-governmental official were put on trial and recently found
guilty of manslaughter. All of them were from the National Commission for the
Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks.
Read
the BBC’s coverage of the story HERE.
WHERE: L’Aquila, Italy, a town located in a fault rich area
of Italy.
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| The location of the 6.3 earthquake that hit Italy in 2009. |
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| Damage of homes in L'Aquila, Italy. |
HOW: There were tremors occurring in L’Aquila and the
citizens were becoming concerned that a large earthquake could be coming. The
National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks calmed the
citizens down by stating that it was unlikely that a large earthquake could
strike. Because of the advice of the Commission many residents stayed in the
area and in their homes.
WHY: This is an important case because it is putting the
communication of science on trial. There is no way to accurately predict a
major earthquake but the geophysicists failed to communicate that effectively
to the people of L’Aquila. The people believed that there was no risk because
the scientists said an earthquake was unlikely. The scientists knew that there
was still a chance that a large earthquake could occur but wanted to calm the
citizens.
WHO: This story is very sad and unfortunate. I think many
people, especially the survivors in L’Aquila, are trying to find the people
they should blame. Who should be held responsible for the deaths? The court has
ruled that the scientists did hold some of that responsibility (although the
decision is being appealed). For me, it seems clear that the seven people from
the National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks failed
at their job. The main failure is the lack of risk communication. None of the
citizens of L’Aquila should ever have heard a message of stay inside. This
story shows how critical it is that scientists be able to communicate with the
public without just dumbing down the science.
Do you think the scientists are guilty? Who is to blame?
What should the Italian government do to avoid another tragedy like the L’Aquila
earthquake?
This concludes the "When things go wrong . . ." series. Let me know if you would be interested in hearing about a particular subject in geophysics. Thanks for reading!
