Category Archives: Policy

Doomsday scenarios

Posted on July 13, 2017 by

There’s been a bit of a furore over an article called The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells. The goal was clearly to investigate some of the extreme scenarios, but – unfortunately – the article got a number of things wrong … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Global warming, Michael Mann, Policy, Science, Scientists | Tagged , , , | 176 Comments

Temperature targets

Posted on July 6, 2017 by

I realise Michael Tobis is planning a follow-up to his post, but I thought would quickly pen this post about temperature targets, for example the Paris target of keeping the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Climate sensitivity, Global warming, IPCC, Policy, Politics, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Emission pathways

Posted on May 19, 2017 by

I’m always a little concerned about writing about economics/policy, because I don’t have any specific expertise and find myself easily confused. However, I thought I would briefly discuss a figure that Glen Peters posted on Twitter (he also, kindly, clarified … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Global warming, IPCC, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 159 Comments

Out of the lab and into the field?

Posted on May 6, 2017 by

This is probably going to be another of those rather confused posts, which doesn’t really say much and in which I illustrate my own confusion, more than anything else. I’ve been reading (a few times, now) a Nature article by … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Global warming, Policy, Research, Science, The scientific method | Tagged , , , , , | 232 Comments

We might not be certain, but…..

Posted on April 29, 2017 by

Bret Stephens, the newly appointed Op-Ed writer for the New York Times, has released his first column to much criticism. It’s a rather strawman-laden column in which he essentially argues that it’s okay to doubt climate science, and/or climate policy, … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Climate change, Climate sensitivity, ClimateBall, Global warming, Policy, Science, Severe Events, The scientific method | Tagged , , , , , , | 144 Comments

Emissions slowdown

Posted on April 11, 2017 by

I thought I would post this video of Glen Peters discussing the three years we’ve just had in which there has been near-zero growth in emissions. You can use a Kaya-like identity to try and understand what might be causing … Continue reading →

Posted in Global warming, IPCC, Policy | Tagged , , , , , , | 32 Comments

It’s okay to lie?

Posted on April 1, 2017 by

The House of Commons Science and Technology committee have just concluded an inquiry into science communication. One of those who presented evidence was David Whitehouse of the Global Warming Policy Foundation. David Whitehouse’s evidence focussed mainly on science journalism, and … Continue reading →

Posted in ClimateBall, ethics, Policy, Politics, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | 199 Comments