How science has shaped the international response to climate change

The Royal Meteorological Society is publishing a special issue in Weather focused on the science of climatic change. One article in the issue reviews the use of scientific evidence in the development of the international response to climate change.

The article examines how climate change became mainstream, how the science initiated and subsequently influenced the policy debate, the complex interaction between science and policy, and related institutional developments.

"Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing mankind," said author David Warrilow, who was one of the negotiators in the international discussions of humans' role in climate change at the United Nations. "The scientific community has played a central role in helping us to understand the nature of the problem and assessing the options for addressing it. What may be less recognized, however, are the institutional and political processes that connect the scientific community to decision makers, and this is the subject of my paper."

The special issue of Weather coincides with the next Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference held in Bonn, Germany (6 - 17 November).

More information:
Weather, DOI: 10.1002/wea.3175

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