Usable Climate Science and the Uses of History, An Interdisciplinary Workshop at Yale University

September 27, 2019

Yale will host an interdisciplinary workshop on “Usable Climate Science and the Uses of History,” November 7-8, 2019, at the Whitney Humanities Center.

Since roughly 2012, major international scientific research and assessment programs like the IPCC and Future Earth have begun to insist on the necessity of incorporating the knowledge, experience, and values of “users,” “stakeholders,” and indigenous communities into the process of producing knowledge about the impacts of anthropogenic climate change. On smaller scales as well, for instance in the provision of regional “climate services,” efforts are multiplying to bridge the “usability gap” by making science more responsive to the needs of citizens. This quest for “usable science” is shaping a new era of research into climate impacts and strategies of adaptation. While there is much to admire about these initiatives, they raise pressing questions about epistemic standards, scientific ethics, and social justice that have not been adequately examined and that would benefit from sustained, transdisciplinary analysis. This workshop aims to reflect critically on the ideals and practices of “cooperative” modes of climate change research, past and present.

The tentative schedule is now available: https://environmentalhistory.yale.edu/public-events/usable-climate-science-and-uses-history-interdisciplinary-workshop-yale-university

Open to the public by pre-registration. To register and access workshop papers please email caitlin.kossmann@yale.edu.