Category Archives: Policy

Reactions to President Obama’s Climate Change Policy

Posted on June 25, 2013 by | 315 comments

by Judith Curry

President Obama has released his new climate change policy:  Plan to Cut Carbon Pollution – Taking Action for Our Kids.

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315 Comments

Posted in Policy, Politics

UN climate talks: no consensus on consensus

Posted on June 17, 2013 by | 271 comments

AFP – A debilitating row with Russia at UN climate talks this week exposed a fundamental flaw in how decisions are taken — the entire system balanced precariously on an ill-defined notion of consensus, observers say.

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271 Comments

Posted in Consensus, Policy

Rep. Lamar Smith on climate change

Posted on May 31, 2013 by | 452 comments

by Judith Curry

Last week, Rep. Lamar Smith wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post entitled Overheated rhetoric on climate change doesn’t make for good policies.  Critics are responding with . . . overheated rhetoric.

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452 Comments

Posted in Policy, Politics

Forget sustainability – it’s about resilience

Posted on May 29, 2013 by | 451 comments

by Judith Curry

The concept of resilience encourages us to ask a different set of questions about the way we manage our resources-and therefore ourselves. – Brian Walker

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451 Comments

Posted in Policy

Myles Allen: why we’re wasting billions on global warming

Posted on May 26, 2013 by | 363 comments

by Judith Curry

Do I think we’re doomed to disastrous warming? Absolutely not. But do I think we are doomed if we persist in our current approach to climate policy? I’m afraid the answer is yes. – Myles Allen

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363 Comments

Posted in Policy, Sociology of science

Lennart Bengtsson on global climate change

Posted on May 13, 2013 by | 656 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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656 Comments

Posted in Communication, Policy

The art and science of effective science advice

Posted on April 28, 2013 by | 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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954 Comments

Posted in Policy

Congressional Hearing on Policy-Relevant Climate Issues in Context

Posted on April 25, 2013 by | 636 comments

by Judith Curry

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

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636 Comments

Posted in Policy, Uncategorized

Congressional hearing rescheduled

Posted on April 24, 2013 by | 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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254 Comments

Posted in Policy

Predictions of climate change impacts on fisheries can be a mirage

Posted on April 14, 2013 by | 116 comments

by Judith Curry

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

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116 Comments

Posted in Causation, Climate change impacts, Policy

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

Posted on March 17, 2013 by | 178 comments

by Judith Curry

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

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178 Comments

Posted in Policy

Time for some optimism about the climate crisis (?)

Posted on March 9, 2013 by | 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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196 Comments

Posted in Policy

Forthcoming Congressional Hearing

Posted on March 4, 2013 by | 403 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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403 Comments

Posted in Communication, Policy

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

Posted on February 19, 2013 by | 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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310 Comments

Posted in Policy

Geek manifesto

Posted on January 14, 2013 by | 144 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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144 Comments

Posted in Policy

Improving weather forecasts for the developing world

Posted on January 6, 2013 by | 323 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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323 Comments

Posted in Policy, South Asia

Whither (wither?) climate science?

Posted on November 20, 2012 by | 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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679 Comments

Posted in Policy

Policy, rhetoric and public bewilderment

Posted on November 14, 2012 by | 493 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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493 Comments

Posted in Communication, Policy

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

Posted on November 4, 2012 by | 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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137 Comments

Posted in Data and observations, Hurricanes, Policy

Learning (?) lessons from Sandy

Posted on November 1, 2012 by | 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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240 Comments

Posted in Hurricanes, Policy

Coping with deep climate uncertainty

Posted on October 18, 2012 by | 349 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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349 Comments

Posted in Policy

Alternative approach to assessing climate risks

Posted on October 15, 2012 by | 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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63 Comments

Posted in Policy, Uncertainty

What’s the best climate question to debate?

Posted on October 8, 2012 by | 1,361 comments

by Judith Curry

Andy Revkin poses a good question . . .

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1,361 Comments

Posted in Policy

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

Posted on October 2, 2012 by | 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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334 Comments

Posted in Ethics, Policy, Sociology of science

The costs of tackling or not tackling anthropogenic global warming

Posted on September 12, 2012 by | 407 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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407 Comments

Posted in Policy