Great question, It certainly gets to the heart of several controversies. I'm thinking of climate change, tobacco, lead, creation/evolution, the earth at the center of the universe etc.
I've just watched the Cosmos episode on the history/science of lead in gasoline, so that is fresh in my mind. But there certainly have been others before Climate Change. Like Coal, Tobacco, Lead paint, the earth at the center of the universe, etc.
At first people with money,power,resources hire and direct research to further their own money,power,purposes. And they are quite pleased with the results. But they take it as a personal insult if the same science turns against their money,power,purpose. Which is really sad.
We may complain about the system. About how Science should be pure, and everyone should listen to it. That all the problems are because of how The Powers That Be misuse the system. And how Science wins in the end. But it takes so long.
So we focus our efforts on educating the masses. Somehow believing that if enough people just understood, things would change.
Isn't there a disconnect there? Were we not just complaining that things are done for the people at the top? I mean if the major payers, supporters, users, opposers of science are the top 1%. Why are we trying to reach the 99%? Should we not accept how the system works and seek to influence the top people?
I don't mean confront them, I mean nudge them in the right direction. Taylor the information to them. Why is it in there interest to do something? Why don't we focus our efforts on becoming one of their inner circle advisers. And seek to say just the right things, in just the right way, to lead them to take an action, for their own interests, that would also help save the planet?
Which would have more impact? Convince the 99% that something should be done, or Convince the top 1% to order the 99% to do something.
Its just a thought...
I would edit my comment.
A thought in the middle of the night
often seems wrong in morning light.
Such an idea is worryingly manipulative.
And we seek to educate the common people because we want a world where educated common people make a difference.