Climate change, governance and knowledge (original) (raw)
In the 1998 Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster movie Armageddon humanity is faced with the most serious threat: an asteroid the size of Texas is on a collision course with the earth. The effects of such a collision would be nothing short of disastrous: the end of the world as we know it. In this situation people do the obvious: they turn to a hero (naturally: Bruce Willis) who eventually saves the planet. If one believes in the IPCC reports and listens to the speakers at the numerous climate summits in the past two decades humanity is facing an equally serious crisis: the dangers and risks of anthropogenic climate change. 1 Unlike the impact of an asteroid, the effects of climate change are not immediately catastrophic. Likewise, it is hard to attribute a particular disaster (say an extreme weather occurrence such as flood or a drought) to climate change. Nevertheless, anthropogenic climate change brings about extraordinary dangers. Another deviation from the Hollywood script is the notable (some might say deplorable) absence of a hero. Decisive policy action is still lacking and progress in international climate negotiations is slow, fragile and, sometimes , thwarted by short-term national interest. Discussions about the governance of climate change in the coming decades increasingly appeal to the strong probability of exceptional dangers that modern societies are bound to face in the not too distant future, unless drastic and immediate action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions around the world.
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THE SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE A MID TERM REVIEW
Iqra University, 2019
This lecture emanates from reflection and synthesis of my past work which encompasses the history and functioning of global environmental governance and the interaction between the science of climate change and the social forces. It may be termed as a mid-term review of how accurate or how misguided I was in my analysis and predictions. Let me first briefly summarize my previous argument in order to put the matters in context.
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