Category Archives: Uncategorized

The role of mathematical modelling

Posted on September 18, 2022 by ...and Then There's Physics

Christina Pagel and Kit Yates have an article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on the Role of mathematical modelling in future pandemic response policy. It’s part of a series in the BMJ on the UK’s covid-19 inquiry. I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Scientists, The philosophy of science, The scientific method, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 186 Comments

Some news

Posted on September 10, 2022 by ...and Then There's Physics

One reason things have been quite quiet here is that I’ve taken on a new role at work. I’ve just started as Head of the Institute for Astronomy, which is part of the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 31 Comments

Considering Catastrophe

Posted on August 9, 2022 by ...and Then There's Physics

There’s been quite a lot of recent coverage of a paper suggesting that climate endgames, such as global societal collapse or human extinction, have been dangerously unexplored. For those who recall the contentious RCP8.5 debate, this may seem a surprising … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Climate sensitivity, ClimateBall, Gavin Schmidt, Policy, Research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 90 Comments

The science-society interface

Posted on May 8, 2022 by ...and Then There's Physics

I came across an interesting paper by Dietram Scheufele on Thirty Years of science-society interfaces: What’s next, which focusses mostly on science communication. Although – as the article mentions – this isn’t the only possible science-society interface. Since I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Philosophy for Bloggers, Scientists, The philosophy of science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 120 Comments

An international solar geoengineering non-use agreement

Posted on January 24, 2022 by ...and Then There's Physics

I wrote about Solar Radiation Managment, or solar geoengineering, earlier this year. It’s become a rather contentious topic, with some regarding it as worth exploring, and others almost seeming to regard it as something we should avoid at all costs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Global warming, Policy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 69 Comments

Seasons greetings

Posted on December 24, 2021 by ...and Then There's Physics

Just a quick post to wish everyone seasons greetings. For those who celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a really enjoyable, and festive, day tomorrow (or, today, in some parts of the world). For those who have some spare time … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Personal, Research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Climate Change Chat for Realists

Posted on December 21, 2021 by ...and Then There's Physics

Steve Dondley, who used to run the Tony Heller, Exposed site has started a youtube channel called Climate Change Chat for Realists. He invites people to spend a couple of hours chatting about various aspects climate change. Previous guests have … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Vulnerability and resilience

Posted on December 14, 2021 by ...and Then There's Physics

I’m starting to better understand why some reasonable people are often concerned about the way in which the impact of extreme weather events are sometimes framed. It’s quite well explained in this recent paper by Myanna Lahsen and Jesse Ribot … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Environmental change, Global warming, Policy, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 145 Comments

Riders on the Storm

Posted on November 21, 2021 by ...and Then There's Physics

I’ve just finished reading Alistair McIntosh’s new book Riders On the Storm; the climate crisis and the survival of being. I should admit that I got somewhat distracted after reading the first few chapters, so it took me a while … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 50 Comments

It’s not too late

Posted on October 26, 2021 by ...and Then There's Physics

In the run up to COP26, the University of Edinburgh has had a series of conversations with researchers about how to make the world a better place through our actions, activities, innovation, research, teaching and learning. I agreed to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Global warming, Research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments