How do climate scientists shape the knowledge that informs global policy?
Hamilton Lugar School Associate Professor Jessica O’Reilly’s new book, Inside the IPCC: How Assessment Practices Shape Climate Knowledge (Cambridge University Press, 2024), answers this question by exploring the human side of global climate science. Based on four years of intensive ethnographic research, the study examines the experiences of the people who author the consensus reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The IPCC's reports are authoritative documents that underwrite global policy decisions, yet their influence often appears outsized compared to the small community of authors who create them. O'Reilly and her co-authors – Mark Vandy, Kari De Pryck, and Marcela da S. Feital Benedetti – provide a crucial, behind-the-scenes deep dive, analyzing the social and human dimensions of this report's writing process. This unique perspective complements the official scientific findings by revealing the complex dynamics behind achieving global scientific consensus.
This groundbreaking study shows how the IPCC's social and human dimension is in fact the main strength, but also the main challenge facing the organization. By stepping back to reveal what truly goes into the making of these climate science assessments, Inside the IPCC aims to help policymakers and the public develop a more realistic – and thus, more actionable – understanding of climate change and the global solutions required to address it.
This recent publication invites readers to rethink how global climate knowledge is produced and how that process ultimately shapes the policies meant to protect our planet. To learn more, explore the full book, or consider enrolling in O’Reilly’s courses, including International Climate Governance, Climate Disaster & Resilience, and more.
Visit our Faculty Book Publications page to explore more recent works by Hamilton Lugar School faculty.