The Limits of Consensus

Joint Program Reprint • Journal Article
The Limits of Consensus
Oppenheimer, M., B.C. O'Neill, M. Webster and S. Agrawala (2007)
Science, 317: 1505-1506

Reprint 2007-20 [Read Full Article]

Abstract/Summary:

The establishment of consensus by the IPCC is no longer as critical to governments as a full exploration of uncertainty. The emphasis on consensus in IPCC reports has put the spotlight on expected outcomes, which then become anchored via numerical estimates in the minds of policy-makers. With the general credibility of the science of climate change established, it is now equally important that policy-makers understand the more extreme possibilities that consensus may exclude or downplay.

© 2007 American Association for the Advancement of Science

Citation:

Oppenheimer, M., B.C. O'Neill, M. Webster and S. Agrawala (2007): The Limits of Consensus. Science, 317: 1505-1506 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1144831)
  • Joint Program Reprint
  • Journal Article
The Limits of Consensus

Oppenheimer, M., B.C. O'Neill, M. Webster and S. Agrawala

Science
2007-20
317: 1505-1506

Abstract/Summary: 

The establishment of consensus by the IPCC is no longer as critical to governments as a full exploration of uncertainty. The emphasis on consensus in IPCC reports has put the spotlight on expected outcomes, which then become anchored via numerical estimates in the minds of policy-makers. With the general credibility of the science of climate change established, it is now equally important that policy-makers understand the more extreme possibilities that consensus may exclude or downplay.

© 2007 American Association for the Advancement of Science

Full article on publisher's website