Category Archives: Policy

Sigh

Posted on August 11, 2019 by

There’s been a rather contentious Twitter thread about RCP8.5, a concentration/forcing pathway I’ve discussed before. It started with a claim that it was “bollox” followed by a suggestion that it was mainly used for generating headlines, scaring gullible folk and … Continue reading →

Posted in Carbon tax, ClimateBall, Policy, Scientists, Sound Science (tm) | Tagged , , , , , , | 99 Comments

A human extinction denier?

Posted on June 4, 2019 by

Mike Hulme has a new essay that some are promoting on Twitter. He suggests that he is a human extinction denier and objects to the climate emergency narrative. Although I have my own concerns about some of the extreme rhetoric, … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, ClimateBall, ethics, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 114 Comments

Promises and perils of the Paris agreement?

Posted on June 2, 2019 by

A few people were sharing, on Twitter, a Science article called Promises and Perils of the Paris Agreement. It mostly seemed unobjectionable. It discusses the linear relationship between warming and emissions, and how this allows one to define carbon budgets … Continue reading →

Posted in Carbon tax, Climate change, Policy, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

J R Oppenheimer Asks: Can Science Provide Better Models for Democracy?

Posted on May 31, 2019 by

I came across a collection of 1950’s vintage essays by Robert Oppenheimer that’s been lurking quietly unattended in my book collection for who knows how long. Reading essays by scientifically accomplished people from long ago is always an eye-opener. Bits … Continue reading →

Posted in physicists, Policy, Politics, Uncategorized | 50 Comments

Shifting the Overton window

Posted on May 15, 2019 by

Stoat has a new post about there being two sorts of people in the world in which he says the GND is not just stupid but would in the unlikely event of it being imposed be actively harmful; and at … Continue reading →

Posted in Carbon tax, Climate change, Environmental change, Global warming, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 100 Comments

The debate has changed

Posted on May 4, 2019 by

I’ve been finding it quite difficult to think of things to post about. One reason is that I’ve been rather busy. Another, though, is that I think the debate has changed. It seems that there is more and more discussion … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, ClimateBall, economics, Environmental change, Policy, Science, The scientific method | Tagged , , , , | 117 Comments

Post-normal science

Posted on April 7, 2019 by

I’ve been reading a paper by Daniel Sarewitz, that was being highlighted by Jane Flegal on Twitter. The paper is called Of Cold Mice and Isotopes Or Should We Do Less Science? There’s quite a lot that could be said … Continue reading →

Posted in Policy, Politics, Research, Science, Scientists, The philosophy of science, The scientific method | Tagged , , , , , | 125 Comments