3Q: Refocusing climate research in a new era
While research into the Earth’s processes, the climate, and its dynamics has come a long way in the last several decades, there is still more to be done, say climate researchers. For many years, two global-scale questions animated climate science: Is the world warming, and how much are humans contributing to it? But now that basic research has largely answered those fundamental questions, new questions — that are scientifically provocative and socially valuable — are needed to guide future climate science. To address this, climate scientists gathered last summer for a “thinking outside of the box” workshop organized by the World Climate Research Program. There, they developed three questions that may seem simple, but which encapsulate the profound scientific challenges the field still faces. The questions also get to the heart of the climate information society needs in order to make informed decisions on responses to anthropogenic climate change. Climate@MIT recently spoke...