Does climate change knowledge really matter?

Climate science and climate policy have been tightly linked for more than two decades. Science is supposed to provide the factual basis for action on climate, and a single policy approach to dealing with climate (through the UN Framework Convention process) has been dominant throughout this period. As a result, debates about climate policy and debates about climate science are impossible to disaggregate, and opposition to the prevailing international climate regime is often expressed as distrust of the science. Until new policy options are available that can enfranchise more diverse political constituencies, climate science will continue to exist as a largely political phenomenon. WIREs Clim Change 2011 2 475–481 DOI: 10.1002/wcc.126 This article is categorized under: Social Status of Climate Change Knowledge > Climate Science and Decision Making