The tragedy of climate change science

• DOI: 10.1080/17565529.2021.2008855
• Publication Date: 2021-12-24T10:18:48Z
• Authors: Bruce C. Glavovic; Timothy F. Smith; Iain White
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified; Climate Research; Peace and Conflict Studies; transformation; Freds- och konfliktforskning; Tvärvetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap; Climate Science; Klimatforskning; science-society contract; 03 medical and health sciences; 13. Climate action; Climate change; Social Sciences Interdisciplinary; Övrig annan samhällsvetenskap; global change; Klimatvetenskap

The science-society contract is broken. The climate is changing. Science demonstrates why this is occurring, that it is getting worse, the implications for human well-being and social-ecological systems, and substantiates action. Governments agree that the science is settled. The tragedy of climate change science is that at the same time as compelling evidence is gathered, fresh warnings issued, and novel methodologies developed, indicators of adverse global change rise year upon year. Meanwhile, global responses to Covid-19 have shown that even emergent scientific knowledge can bolster radical government action. We explore three options for the climate change science community. We find that two options are untenable and one is unpalatable. Given the urgency and criticality of climate change, we argue the time has come for scientists to agree to a moratorium on climate change research as a means to first expose, then renegotiate, the broken science-society contract.