Category Archives: advocacy

Cancel culture?

Posted on July 9, 2020 by

The talking point in social media at the moment (in my bubble, at least) seems to be the letter on justice and open debate, signed by 150 luminaries. It’s not been universally well-received. There was some quite measured comments in … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Personal, Philosophy for Bloggers | Tagged , , , , | 398 Comments

Mitigation, adaptation, suffering

Posted on June 6, 2020 by

I’ve been struggling, more than usual, to find things to write about. Everything seems to just be a bit of a mess. The pandemic itself, how it’s been handled in some cases, and the protests in the USA, especially how … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Climate change, Climate sensitivity, Philosophy for Bloggers | Tagged , , | 41 Comments

Across the lines

Posted on May 31, 2020 by

I haven’t really come across anything to write about recently. I’ve been thinking a bit about models and how they are used to inform decision making. I’ve been thinking a bit about the use of scientific advice. I also had … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Personal, Philosophy for Bloggers, Policy, Politics | Tagged , | 20 Comments

Stocks and Flows

Posted on December 4, 2019 by

Sitting at home waiting for a delivery, so just a quick post. There’s been a new narrative, on social media at least, that we may be heading for a plateau in global emissions. The suggestion, then, is that we are … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Carbon tax, Climate change, Global warming, Policy | Tagged , , , , , | 120 Comments

Depolarising the debate?

Posted on November 7, 2019 by

I’ve always been a little puzzled by the (mostly) social scientists who seem to argue that to develop effective climate policy we should stop using labels, be depolarizing the debate, and should prioritise civil disagreements. It’s not that I object … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Climate change, Environmental change, Policy, Science | Tagged , , , , | 172 Comments

Extinction rebellion

Posted on October 7, 2019 by

I’ve written about extinction rebellion before. Although I think they get some of the science wrong, and some of their demands seem unrealistic (we can’t get emissions to zero in 7 years), they are having an impact. We keep getting … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Climate change, ClimateBall | Tagged , , | 114 Comments

Extreme weather event attribution

Posted on June 11, 2019 by

This is a joint post between myself and Eric Winsberg, Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Florida. Eric has just published, together with Naomi Oreskes and Elisabeth Lloyd, a paper called Severe Weather Event Attribution: Why values won’t … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Climate change, Research, Science, The philosophy of science, The scientific method | Tagged , , , , , , , | 184 Comments

Estragon and the Expert

Posted on June 6, 2019 by

An abstract stakeholder’s dialog. Vladimir, or V, is the expert. Estragon is E. [V] You have cancer.[E] OK.[V] …[E] Is it curable?[V] Yes, I guess.[E] …[V] …[E] How?[V] There’s A or B.[E] What would you suggest.[V] If you do A … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, ClimateBall, Politics, Roger Pielke Jr | Tagged , , | 110 Comments

The Honest Broker

Posted on March 8, 2019 by

In discussions about science and policy, it is quite common for people to refer to The Honest Broker, a book by Roger Pielke Jr. I realise that it is now a little old, but I’ve only just had the chance … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, ClimateBall, Roger Pielke Jr, Scientists, Sound Science (tm) | Tagged , , , , , , | 173 Comments

Guest essay: The Missing Key

Posted on January 19, 2019 by

This is a guest essay from Peter Miesler, who writes the blog Citizen’s Challenge. The Missing Key to Stephen Gould’s “Nonoverlapping Magisteria” “… missing was a much more fundamental division crying out for recognition. Specifically, the magisteria of Physical Reality … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Climate change, Global warming, Personal, Science, The scientific method | Tagged , , , , | 32 Comments