Category Archives: Policy

Pathological altruism

Posted on December 9, 2013 by | 461 comments

by Judith Curry

Pathological altruism can be conceived as behavior in which attempts to promote the welfare of another, or others, results instead in harm that an external observer would conclude was reasonably foreseeable.

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461 Comments

Posted in Policy

Reflection on reliability of climate models

Posted on November 25, 2013 by | 403 comments

by Judith Curry

Failure to communicate the relevant ‘weak link’ is sometimes under-appreciated as a critical element of science-based policy-making.

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403 Comments

Posted in Policy, Uncertainty

Warsaw Loss and Damage Mechanism: A climate for corruption?

Posted on November 24, 2013 by | 308 comments

Lets take a look at the new ‘Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage’ agreed to by the UNFCCC COP in Warsaw last week, and its potential for breeding a climate of corruption.

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308 Comments

Posted in Policy, South Asia

Social cost of carbon

Posted on November 21, 2013 by | 354 comments

by Judith Curry

The debate on the social cost of carbon is heating up.

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354 Comments

Posted in Policy

20 tips for interpreting scientific claims

Posted on November 20, 2013 by | 174 comments

by Judith Curry

This list will help non-scientists to interrogate advisers and to grasp the limitations of evidence  – William J. Sutherland, David Spiegelhalter and Mark A. Burgman.

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174 Comments

Posted in Policy, Scientific method

Fallacies of risk

Posted on November 20, 2013 by | 201 comments

by Judith Curry

In addition to traditional fallacies such as ad hominem, discussions of risk contain logical and argumentative fallacies that are specific to the subject-matter. Ten such fallacies are identified, that can commonly be found in public debates on risk. They are named as follows: the sheer size fallacy, the converse sheer size fallacy, the fallacy of naturalness, the ostrich’s fallacy, the proof-seeking fallacy, the delay fallacy, the technocratic fallacy, the consensus fallacy, the fallacy of pricing, and the infallability fallacy. – Sven Ove Hansson

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201 Comments

Posted in Policy, Uncertainty

Practice-relevant climate adaptation science

Posted on November 8, 2013 by | 154 comments

by Judith Curry

Informing the extensive preparations needed to manage climate risks, avoid damages, and realize emerging opportunities is a grand challenge for climate change science.

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154 Comments

Posted in Policy

John Howard: One Religion is Enough

Posted on November 7, 2013 by | 391 comments

by Judith Curry

“I chose the…title largely in reaction to the sanctimonious tone employed by so many of those who advocate substantial and and costly responses to what they see as irrefutable evidence that the world’s climate faces catastrophe…To them the cause has become a substitute religion.” – John Howard

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391 Comments

Posted in Policy

Pragmatic leverage points to tackle climate change

Posted on November 3, 2013 by | 293 comments

by Judith Curry

It’s time to move beyond the old debates and endless gridlock, and find pragmatic, new leverage points to tackle climate change. – Jon Foley

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293 Comments

Posted in Policy

2 from the Australian Financial Review

Posted on September 29, 2013 by | 185 comments

The latest IPCC report will not bridge the ideological divide on climate change so it is up to governments to find the sensible centre. – Warwick McKibben

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185 Comments

Posted in Policy

IPCC diagnosis – permanent paradigm paralysis

Posted on September 28, 2013 by | 658 comments

by Judith Curry

Diagnosis: paradigm paralysis, caused by motivated reasoning, oversimplification, and consensus seeking; worsened and made permanent by a vicious positive feedback effect at the climate science-policy interface.

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658 Comments

Posted in IPCC, Policy, Scientific method

Unintended consequences of energy policy on biodiversity

Posted on September 23, 2013 by | 211 comments

by Judith Curry

Mitigation, adaptation, and the threat to biodiversity.

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211 Comments

Posted in Climate change impacts, Policy

Politics of the 2C target

Posted on September 21, 2013 by | 333 comments

by Judith Curry

The modification of the 2C climate target will put an end to the vision of a “science-based” climate policy – Oliver Geden

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333 Comments

Posted in Climate change impacts, Policy, Politics

Professors, politics and public policy

Posted on September 2, 2013 by | 465 comments

by Judith Curry

On academic misconceptions of politics and the policy process.

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465 Comments

Posted in Policy

Climate of failure(?)

Posted on September 1, 2013 by | 413 comments

by Judith Curry

On the politics of global warming policy.

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413 Comments

Posted in Policy

JC on NPR

Posted on August 22, 2013 by | 719 comments

I have an interview tonite on NPR’s All Things Considered.

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719 Comments

Posted in Communication, Policy, Politics, Uncertainty

Proactionary principle

Posted on August 19, 2013 by | 410 comments

by Judith Curry

Between no action and precaution.

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410 Comments

Posted in Ethics, Policy

Conflicts between climate and energy priorities

Posted on August 7, 2013 by | 757 comments

by Judith Curry

The world’s poor need more than a token supply of electricity.  The goal should be to provide the power necessary to boost productivity and raise living standards.  – Morgan Brazilian and Roger Pielke Jr.

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757 Comments

Posted in Energy, Ethics, Policy

Bouncing forward (not back)

Posted on August 4, 2013 by | 235 comments

by Judith Curry

Forget resilience — its about thrivability.

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235 Comments

Posted in Policy

U.S. Senate Hearing “Climate Change: It’s Happening Now”

Posted on July 18, 2013 by | 237 comments

by Judith Curry

There was a big hearing today in the Senate on climate change.

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237 Comments

Posted in Policy

Axioms of ecological policy

Posted on July 12, 2013 by | 167 comments

by Judith Curry

“Many of today’s ecological policy issues are contentious, socially divisive, and full of conundrums.” – Robert Lackey

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167 Comments

Posted in Policy

Climate vs weather prediction: should we rebalance?

Posted on July 11, 2013 by | 88 comments

by Judith Curry

The Weather Forecasting Improvement Act of 2013  introduced by Environment Subcommittee Vice Chairman Jim Bridenstine will prioritize the mission of NOAA to include the protection of lives and property, and make funds available to improve weather-related research, operations and computing resources.

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88 Comments

Posted in climate models, Policy

Why progressives should love a carbon tax

Posted on July 8, 2013 by | 320 comments

by Ed Dolan

. . . and why not all of them do.

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320 Comments

Posted in Energy, Policy

Climate Risk

Posted on July 2, 2013 by | 442 comments

by Judith Curry

How much effort should we exert this year as opposed to 10 years from now? How should we manage discontinuous or highly uncertain effects?  What is the likelihood of a technological deus ex machina? Will climate change mean geopolitical surprise in the Arctic or from petroleum exporting nations? Are we a world filled with highly flexible innovators or low-turnover, high-cost capital stock? – Hultman, Hassenzahl, Rayner

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442 Comments

Posted in Policy

Why conservatives should love a carbon tax

Posted on July 1, 2013 by | 340 comments

. . . and why some of them do. – Ed Dolan

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340 Comments

Posted in Policy, Politics