“Science needs facts, not emotions”
Climate change threatens the existence of many people and ecosystems. In view of the scientific findings, many researchers are also worried about the future. Should they talk openly about their feelings? In the new episode of the Hypothesis Podcast, climate researcher Prof. Dr. Lisa Schipper from the Department of Development Geography at the University of Bonn discusses the thesis “Science needs facts, not emotions” with host Denis Nasser. This episode is in English.
Reports about melting glaciers, rising sea levels and heat-related deaths: “It's hard to face up to it,” says Prof. Dr. Lisa Schipper. She is also depressed about how people and ecosystems are suffering from climate change. As a scientist, she was involved in the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). She took part in a survey of IPCC climate researchers conducted by the British daily newspaper “The Guardian”. This revealed how concerned many of them are about the consequences of climate change.
Following the publication of the Guardian article, criticism rained down, including from within the community of climate researchers: It is not helpful to express emotions in science, they said. Lisa Schipper disagrees: “The importance of emotions in science is overlooked.” This is why she recently published a commentary in the renowned journal “Nature Climate Change” together with other scientists on the topic “ Scientists have emotional responses to climate change too ”.
In the new episode of the Hypothesis Podcast, Prof. Dr. Lisa Schipper discusses the thesis “Science needs facts, not emotions” with host Denis Nasser. You can hear here whether the scientist verifies (confirms as true) or falsifies (refutes) it: https://www.podcaster.de/webplayer/?id=show~2v87c7~hypothese~pod-194e401ff95794d13c98f03362&v=1741268055
About the person:
Lisa Schipper has been a professor in the Geographical Development Research working group since the beginning of 2023. Before moving to the University of Bonn, she was an Environmental Social Science Research Fellow at the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on the interface between climate change and development research. In particular, she examines the question of whether equitable development is possible in a changing climate. Among her numerous publications, her work on the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report stands out in particular.
Wissenschaftlicher Ansprechpartner:
Prof. Dr. Lisa Schipper
Geographical Development Research
University of Bonn
Phone +49 228 73-7896
E-mail: lschipper@uni-bonn.de
Originalpublikation:
E. L. F. Schipper, S. S. Maharaj & G. Pecl: Scientists have emotional responses to climate change too, Comment, Nature Climate Change, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02139-3
Weitere Informationen:
https://www.podcaster.de/webplayer/?id=show~2v87c7~hypothese~pod-194e401ff95794d13c98f03362&v=1741268055
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