This is lecture 5 in the Philosophy of Climate Change. It introduces the second module on climate science.

1. UNT Phil 4250
Climate Change
Adam Briggle
adam.briggle@unt.edu
5. What is (Climate)
Science?

2. Ackbar Approved!

3. Outline
• Welcome to module 2
• Why does science matter?
• For problem-oriented inquiry
• For ethics
• For democracy
• What is science?
• Worldview
• Body of knowledge (6)
• Institutions (7)
• Methods and tools (8)
• Understanding climate science (9/10)
• So…what should we do? (11)

4. Science in problem-
oriented inquiry
• Goals: to stabilize greenhouse gas
concentrations "at a level that
would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic (human induced)
interference with the climate
system.” UNFCCC
• Trends: GHG concentrations up…
• Conditioning Factors: Human
activities…
• Projections: ‘Dangerous’ levels
ahead…
• Alternatives: Adaptation,
mitigation measures… Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mauna_Loa_Carbon_Dioxide_Apr2013.svg

5. Science and
Ethics
Truth-telling in science
Knowledge and the moral obligation to
act

6. Science and ethics
• But do you really know… do you know
enough? And what actions are compatible
with your knowledge?
• “It is wrong always, everywhere, and for
anyone to believe anything on insufficient
evidence.”
• W.K. Clifford on “The Ethics of Belief”
1877
• But what is ‘sufficient’…what if the clock is
ticking? “Doing nothing” is not an option,
not a neutral stance.

7. Science
and
Democracy
• Science crucial for legitimizing democratic decisions – a
neutral and independent source of authority, experts to
guide public policies.
• Their affinities
• Universalist
• Open
• Meritocratic
• Their tensions
• Equality and Expertise

8. What is science?
• A worldview
• Bodies of knowledge (6)
(what do we know?)
• Institutions (7) (who figured
this out?)
• Methods and tools (8) (how
did they figure it out?)

9. Understanding
climate science
Funnels, filters, explainers… (9)
Climate change vocabulary (10)

10. So…what
should we
do?
What are scientists talking about
now when it comes to climate goals
and how to achieve them? (11)

11. “Cool humanoids
cruise in carbon
neutral spaceships.”