This week we are discussing the Montreal Protocol. And why are we discussing it? For the same reason so many others do: we want to know whether there are any lessons from that “success” that can help us resolve the problem of international cooperation on climate change.

So here are some recent posts from around the web on climate change.

1. Scientific Uncertainty?
   
   • We often hear about how “industry” is out to debunk the anthropogenic theory of climate change. However, there is at least one industry that disagrees: the Insurance Industry.
     • “From our industry’s perspective, the footprints of climate change are around us and the trend of increasing damage to property and threat to lives is clear,” – Franklin Nutter, president of the Reinsurance Association of America.
       • via Business Insider
   • Meanwhile, Sean Hecht at Legal Planet, has some thoughts about “Climate “skepticisim”, ideology, and sincerity. His take seems to be that the climate naysayers are ideological while those that agree with science are not.
   • However, Hecht is ignoring an important feature of science: it too may be considered an ideology. There is an interesting article over at Philosophy Now on“Is Science an Ideology?”:
     • “The overall conclusion seems to be that all forms of knowledge, including scientific knowledge, are ‘ideological’ in the sense that there is no neutral, objective body of knowledge that is not infected by the purpose-relative concepts of a group of inquirers. This is a meaning of ‘ideology’ that still retains some vestiges of the original Marxist meaning of ‘ideology’ as a mask and cover for vested interests.”
   • Indeed, it is interesting to me that many of those that embrace “science” when it comes to climate change are very quick to question “science” when it seems unable to say that genetically modified foods are dangerous. Just something to think about.

1. The impacts of climate change.
   • Chris Blattman has a recent post: “Climate change and conflict: Thank goodness the skeptics have not given up.”
     • Indeed, there is an active empirical debate about whether or not climate change is or will lead to conflict. You can count Blattman among the skeptics.
   • Nevertheless, there is plenty of room for sensationalism. Business Insider recently published its “Five Visions of the World in 2050.” Climate Change matters here!