"Our long term climate future, as changed by humans, is not going to be dictated by what happens in North America or in Europe," he says. "You've got billions of people in Asia and Southeast Asia and Africa who are going to be consuming vastly more energy." So I do think we're at a big inflection point, but a big part of me thinks that a lot of the debates on Twitter ... are a little parochial when it comes to what's actually happening around the world".
On this episode, Nate is joined by climate and policy scientist Roger Pielke Jr. to discuss the progression of climate research and modeling. The climate activist community is based around projections of what a future might look like given the actions of society - an important tool in the push for urgent climate action. Yet, just like with any other model, the assumptions and parameters can greatly shape the outcomes. How has climate science been shaped by previous models and public perception? How did 2Cº come to be our common climate goal post? Are we anticipating the future within the most likely range of possibilities, or are we polarizing ourselves to the extremes of climate denial and climate doom?
About Roger Pielke Jr.
Dr. Roger Pielke Jr. is a professor at the University of Colorado where he teaches environmental science and policy. A lifetime scholar with many interests, Roger researches and writes on subjects from understanding the politicization of science to decision making under uncertainty to policy education for scientists in areas such as climate change, disaster mitigation, and world trade. His most recent book, The Rightful Place of Science: Disasters and Climate Change takes a deeper look at the IPCC and climate science and how it is being interpreted in the media. Roger also oversees a popular Substack - The Honest Broker - where he is experimenting with a new approach to research, writing and public engagement. Roger holds degrees in mathematics, public policy and political science, all from the University of Colorado Boulder.
For Show Notes and More visit: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/81-roger-pielke
To watch this video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/T6Nx4SYZIvQ