Category Archives: Policy

Lennart Bengtsson on global climate change

Posted on May 13, 2013 | 654 Comments

[T]he really important question is to know how much warmer it will be and how fast this is likely to happen as this determines a realistic and sensible cause of action. In spite of all research and modelling experimentation we are actually less sure what will happen than what might appear from all reassuring reports that dominates the media. – Lennart Bengtsson

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Posted in Communication, Policy

The art and science of effective science advice

Posted on April 28, 2013 | 954 Comments

by Judith Curry

“Universities, then, are doing the research. Governments, and their public services, want the evidence. Why is it so difficult to get these two worlds to meet at an intersection of knowledge that can influence in significant ways the making of public policy? Why does Australia’s large public investment in research and development contribute so little to addressing the political response to the nation’s economic and social challenges?” – Peter Shergold

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Posted in Policy

Congressional Hearing on Policy-Relevant Climate Issues in Context

Posted on April 25, 2013 | 623 Comments

by Judith Curry

The Hearing on Policy-Relevant Climate Issues in Context is now beginning.

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Posted in Policy, Uncategorized

Congressional hearing rescheduled

Posted on April 24, 2013 | 254 Comments

by Judith Curry

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Environment Hearing on Policy Relevant Climate Issues in Context will be held tomorrow, April 25 at 10 a.m.

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Posted in Policy

Predictions of climate change impacts on fisheries can be a mirage

Posted on April 14, 2013 | 116 Comments

by Judith Curry

A novel method for causal inference has been motivated by .  .  .  sardines.

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Posted in Causation, Climate change impacts, Policy

U.S. climate policy discussion thread

Posted on April 5, 2013 | 873 Comments

by Judith Curry

Climate change is back on President Obama’s agenda.

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Posted in Policy

Obesity (?) of the U.S. scientific research enterprise

Posted on March 17, 2013 | 178 Comments

by Judith Curry

The scientific enterprise is not immune from the perils of obesity.  - Mike Kelly

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Posted in Policy

Time for some optimism about the climate crisis (?)

Posted on March 9, 2013 | 196 Comments

by Judith Curry

First we discuss the interlinked problems of climate change, peak fossil fuels and the credit crunch and then grounds for some optimism, including means of adjusting energy and commodity markets to start to address these ills, and other measures to deal with non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions. – Richard Douthwaite and David Knight

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Posted in Policy

Forthcoming Congressional Hearing

Posted on March 4, 2013 | 402 Comments

The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Environment of the Committee on Science, Space & Technology is holding a Hearing this Wed on “Policy Relevant Climate Issues in Context.”  Witnesses:

  • Bjorn Lomborg
  • Judith Curry
  • William Chameides

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Posted in Communication, Policy

Adapting to climate change: Challenges and opportunities for U.S. business community

Posted on February 19, 2013 | 310 Comments

by Judith Curry

The wide variation in temperature, rainfall and other measures predicted by the various climate models makes it difficult for both policymakers and the private sector to decide when and how much capital to invest in measures to adapt to possible changes in the climate.  - Margo Thorning

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Posted in Policy

Geek manifesto

Posted on January 14, 2013 | 142 Comments

by Judith Curry

British journalist Mark Henderson makes a passionate case for why science and scientists deserve a greater role in politics in The Geek Manifesto. But he offers no discussion — much less remedy — for “geeks” who play politics via science. Increasing the influence of scientists won’t clean up our politics; for that, we simply need to practice better politics, which means holding institutions and authorities, including scientists, accountable to the public. – Roger Pielke Jr.

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Posted in Policy

Improving weather forecasts for the developing world

Posted on January 6, 2013 | 321 Comments

by Judith Curry

Global prediction partnerships would cost little and reduce the regional carnage caused by floods, droughts and tropical cyclones. – Peter Webster

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Posted in Policy, South Asia

Whither (wither?) climate science?

Posted on November 20, 2012 | 679 Comments

by Judith Curry

The title for this post comes from a recent presentation by Michael Morgan, Director of the Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Division at NSF.

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Posted in Policy

Policy, rhetoric and public bewilderment

Posted on November 14, 2012 | 488 Comments

by Judith Curry

Science is the most formidable intellectual force of our age, perhaps any age. The irony is that, without the insights of the humanities, it may still find itself without words. – Mark Thompson

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Posted in Communication, Policy

Sandy: a wake-up call on our satellite-based weather and climate observing capacity

Posted on November 4, 2012 | 137 Comments

by Marshall Shepherd

Hurricane – Post-Tropical Storm Sandy is one of “those” moments. A moment that rallies the public and policy makers around an issue. Other “those” moments include 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. In the wake of Sandy, an array of issues have surfaced including the role of climate change, vulnerability of urban infrastructure, and how it will effect the U.S. Presidential election. As I write this, another Nor’easter looks to impact the same region in the days after the election.

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Posted in Data and observations, Hurricanes, Policy

Learning (?) lessons from Sandy

Posted on November 1, 2012 | 240 Comments

by Judith Curry

America is growing more skilled – and getting better fast – at emergency response to disasters of growing geographical reach, cost, and complexity. But we can and should do more. America needs a comparable national effort and accompanying long-term investment in reducing the need for emergency response on such a grand scale. - Bill Hooke

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Posted in Hurricanes, Policy

Coping with deep climate uncertainty

Posted on October 18, 2012 | 346 Comments

by Judith Curry

So, what do you think climate science and policy would look like if the IPCC worked for the World Bank, instead of the UNFCCC?

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Posted in Policy

Alternative approach to assessing climate risks

Posted on October 15, 2012 | 63 Comments

by Judith Curry

At one level, analyzing climate risks is a matter of due diligence, given mounting scientific evidence. However, there is no consensus about the means for doing so nor about whether climate models are even fit for the purpose. An alternative to the scenario- led strategy, such as an approach based on a vulnerability analysis (“stress test”), may identify practical options for resource managers. - Brown and Wilby

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Posted in Policy, Uncertainty

What’s the best climate question to debate?

Posted on October 8, 2012 | 1,361 Comments

by Judith Curry

Andy Revkin poses a good question . . .

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Posted in Policy

Rebuilding public trust in science for policy-making: Japan perspective

Posted on October 2, 2012 | 334 Comments

by Judith Curry

Until recently, there was little recognition within Japan’s science policy circle of the need to discuss the role of science in government policy-making. A rather innocent notion that the established knowledge and wisdom of scientists would ensure proper decision-making was prevalent. - Arimoto and Sato

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Posted in Ethics, Policy, Sociology of science

U.S. climate change policy news

Posted on September 24, 2012 | 562 Comments

by Judith Curry

A roundup of some recent news on U.S. climate change politics and policy.

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Posted in Policy, Politics

The costs of tackling or not tackling anthropogenic global warming

Posted on September 12, 2012 | 405 Comments

by Michael Cunningham (“Faustino”)

There are many issues of debate about global warming.  Has there been warming this century?  Will there be further warming?  If so, will the cause be anthropogenic or other?  What will be the impacts, both positive and negative?  Should we take action to reduce emissions?  How might we proceed, and what are the costs and benefits of various approaches?

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Posted in Policy

Refocusing the debate about advocacy

Posted on September 11, 2012 | 224 Comments

by Judith Curry

The notion that a scientist is either an advocate or does nothing at all to shape policy is a false dichotomy that has muddied the debate about science and advocacy. – Scott and Rachlow

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Posted in Ethics, Policy

Too much advocacy?

Posted on September 10, 2012 | 488 Comments

by Judith Curry

By advocating social policy positions, scientists may be forfeiting their credibility, instead becoming just ordinary folks with opinions. – Greg Breining

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Posted in Ethics, Policy

Decision making under uncertainty: the dog and the frisbee

Posted on September 6, 2012 | 300 Comments

by Judith Curry

As you do not fight fire with fire, you do not fight complexity with complexity. Because complexity generates uncertainty, not risk, it requires a regulatory response grounded in simplicity, not complexity.

To ask today’s regulators to save us from tomorrow’s crisis using yesterday’s toolbox is to ask a border collie to catch a frisbee by first applying Newton’s Law of Gravity. - Haldane and Madouros

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Posted in Policy