Tens of thousands of people in southeastern Australia were under evacuation orders Tuesday, as days of heavy flooding that have killed at least 12 people showed no signs of abating.
The big picture: Torrential rains that began last week triggered flooding that caused several towns in Queensland and New South Wales to be submerged. The storm system on Wednesday unleashed heavy rains on Sydney, where forecasters warned flooding was expected.
Two years into the pandemic, the idea of "following the science" has oversimplified what's actually a complex array of factors that policymakers must weigh in formulating a response.
Why it matters: Science has been weaponized time and again to justify or defend positions held by both policymakers and public health experts. Even when data is irrefutable, people can disagree on the application of that data and how much value to give other factors.
