Category Archives: Policy

Matt Ridley – How Innovation Works

Posted on August 23, 2020 by

Despite having been a regular critic of Matt Ridley’s Lukewarmerism, I’ve just finished reading his new book How Innovation Works. I actually quite enjoyed the book and found it quite an easy read. Ridley is clearly a very convincing writer. … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy for Bloggers, Policy | Tagged , , , | 88 Comments

Deep Adaptation

Posted on July 20, 2020 by

Something I haven’t paid much attention to recently is the Deep Adaptation arguments. I think it originated with a paper by Jem Bendell. The reason it’s of current interest is because of a critique called the faulty science, doomism, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, ClimateBall, Philosophy for Bloggers, Policy | Tagged , , , , | 54 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

The Imperial College code

Posted on May 16, 2020 by

The Imperial College code, the results from which are thought to have changed the UK government’s coronavirus policy, has been available for a while now on github. Since being made available, it’s received criticism from some quarters, as discussed by … Continue reading →

Posted in Policy, Research, Scientists, The scientific method | Tagged , , , , , , | 614 Comments

Sometimes it’s never good enough

Posted on March 30, 2020 by

I’ve, in the past, suggested that climate scientists could end up being criticised whatever happens. If the impact of climate change ends up being less severe than it could have been, climate scientists will probably be criticised for being alarmists. … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy for Bloggers, Policy, Politics, Scientists, The philosophy of science | Tagged , , , , , | 105 Comments

Some thoughts about science advice

Posted on March 24, 2020 by

I hope everyone is keeping well and listening to all the advice which, in the UK, is basically to stay at home and to only go outside for food, some exercise, or to go to work (where this cannot be … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy for Bloggers, Policy, Science, Scientists, The philosophy of science | Tagged , , , | 70 Comments

Andrew Dessler rebuts Roy Spencer

Posted on March 16, 2020 by

Most of the focus at the moment is rightly on the coronavirus. Since I have no relevant expertise whatsoever, all I’ll say is that I hope everyone is doing their best to stay safe, and listening to the advice that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Policy, Roy Spencer, The philosophy of science, The scientific method | Tagged , , , | 68 Comments

Growth?

Posted on March 3, 2020 by

Just over a year ago, I wrote a post about limits to growth that focussed on an article written by Michael Liebreich. I found his argument particularly silly as it seemed to suggest that the economy could grow until the … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental change, ethics, Philosophy for Bloggers, Policy | Tagged , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Debate about communicating tipping points

Posted on February 23, 2020 by

The new book about Contemporary Climate Change Debates, that I discussed in this post, includes a debate about whether or not ‘tipping point[s]’ [are] helpful for describing and communicating possible climate futures? James Annan suggests that the answer is “no”, … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Climate sensitivity, Global warming, Policy, The philosophy of science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 340 Comments