Ozone and climate governance: an implausible path dependence

Grundmann, Reiner

Abstract

Many observers and commentators have used the case of ozone science and politics as a role model for climate science and politics. Two crucial assumptions underpin this view: (1) that science drives policymaking, and (2) that a unified, international science assessment is essential to provide “one voice” of science that speaks to policymakers. I will argue that these assumptions are theoretically problematic and empirically questionable. We should realize that both cases, ozone and climate, are profoundly different and only have superficial similarities. Ozone science developed late, but efforts to protect the ozone layer happened swiftly. The relation between carbon dioxide and climate change has been studied for many decades, but efforts to control global warming have failed so far. I will discuss the linear model of the scinece-policy relationship and use the typology of tame and wicked problems to explain this stark difference.

Citation

Grundmann, R. (2018). Ozone and climate governance: an implausible path dependence. Comptes Rendus Géoscience, 350(7), 435-441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crte.2018.07.008

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 9, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Oct 9, 2018
• Publication Date: 2018-11
• Deposit Date: Oct 3, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 10, 2019
• Journal: Comptes Rendus Geoscience
• Print ISSN: 1631-0713
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 350
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 435-441
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crte.2018.07.008
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1143264
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1631071318301159
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: Ozone and climate governance: An implausible path dependence; Journal Title: Comptes Rendus Geoscience; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crte.2018.07.008; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2018 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
• Contract Date: Oct 3, 2018