Climate change is perhaps the most complex problem human beings have ever faced. It unfolds over long periods of time and large stretches of earth. It involves ecological processes that scientists do not fully grasp. It alters not just the earth’s climate, but also social and political systems. To understand it, we have to become detectives and clairvoyants. We have to learn how to study the past and predict the future. Despite its complexity, climate change is a problem that we must try to understand. Without a nuanced sense of how climate change works, we cannot take actions to limit, prepare for and adapt to its effects.
In general, knowledge allows people to make more informed decisions about how to prepare for and respond to change. When we have a more complete picture of a problem, we are better able to determine which actions are likely to solve that problem most effectively. Importantly, understanding a problem like climate change does not lead us to any predetermined solutions. Rather, improving our climate change knowledge allows us to make better decisions about how to respond to change in ways that will be good for us and our communities.
Having a robust understanding of climate change allows us to identify root causes, predict changes that are likely to occur in the future, and come up with effective strategies for dealing with climate-related problems. Knowledge also enables the poor and vulnerable to communicate their needs and vulnerabilities to those with more decision-making power. Improving access to knowledge can, in this way, give people traditionally denied political power a voice in global conversations about climate change.
But what do we mean when we talk about “knowledge”? Climate change involves a huge number of different processes, and drawing a boundary around a certain body of knowledge inevitably excludes useful pieces of information. We believe, however, that people – especially people in positions of political or social authority – ought to understand the basic science behind climate change. Without this kind of elemental scientific knowledge, developing long-term solutions can be difficult. But climate change is more than carbon and coral bleaching. It involves complex interactions between natural and human systems, and understanding the human dimension of climate change is perhaps as important as understanding its environmental features.
As climate change researchers, we have always believed that the knowledge we produce can help people to deal with the problems that climate change creates. We now want to know if that belief is justified. To that end, we are undertaking a study to examine the relationship between how much someone knows about climate change and his or her ability to adapt. We hope that, at the end of the research, we will be able to rank individuals, communities, organizations and even nations on a “knowledge scale.” Doing so will allow us to identify gaps in knowledge and discover ways to help people and groups improve their understanding of the problems they face. We have already begun the research, and our preliminary paper will appear in “Nature Climate Change” in February.
Climate change is a complicated issue. But it is something we have to wrap our heads around if we hope to deal with its effects in a way that preserves wellbeing, protects dignity, and ensures justice.