Sir Peter Gluckman’s public speech - Integrity in Science: Implications for the Climate Change Debate
9 June 2010 at Victoria University of Wellington

Sir Peter Gluckman is delivering a speech on 9 June as part of The Institute of Political Studies series on Key Policy Challenges Facing New Zealand.

“Contemporary science has become dominated by the study of complex systems. But such science often is associated with levels of uncertainty and is based on concepts of probability.

In the case of climate change, despite this uncertainty, policy judgements need to be made so as to mitigate against and adapt to predicted scenarios.

While there is a very high level of consensus amongst climate scientists as to the nature of climate change and its anthropogenic underpinnings, there is a high level of denial
and scepticism in the broader community. While scepticism is inherent in a robust self-correcting scientific process, denialism is different, but it is not a unitary phenomenon.
Comparable situations have included the arguments over tobacco and cancer, evolution and creation and the HIV-denial movement.

Further, as has been the case in other issues of this nature, there are a variety of motives underlying these different positions and thus responses arising.
The reasons for this discord are multiple and are the topic of this presentation with a focus on climate change.
The consequences present a challenge both to the science system and to how science and society will continue to interact”.

ENDS