Ecotoxicology and the Marine Environment: Values, Uncertainties and Challenges

At the end of 1999, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) carried out an investigation into what society expects from the scientific community. Not surprisingly, the general public was most interested in health and disease, particularly AIDS – 57% of the population wanted to know whether it will be possible to find a vaccine. Second in the list of public concerns were environmental issues (drinking water, 38%; transgenic organisms, 30%; nuclear energy, 30%). The question of water quality was well considered at the institutional level, with the publication in October 2000 of European Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for a community policy; however, this ambitious text has engendered a need for research into the best tools for attaining the aims of the Directive.