Plenary - Day 4 - What We Don't Know, and Why It Matters - Dr. Katharine Hayhoe

Speaker: Dr. Katharine Hayhoe (Global Chief Scientist of Nature United and a Distinguished Professor at Texas Tech University) Abstract: Uncertainty is central to atmospheric and ocean science. From chaotic circulation systems to future climate projections, our disciplines are skilled at characterising these uncertainties and communicating the risks they represent.  Yet today, the most consequential uncertainties we face are not those embedded into the physics of the climate system. Rather, they are the uncertainties inherent to the human decisions and systems that are driving unprecedented change. What happens over this century depends critically on how quickly we reduce emissions, how sustainably we manage our resources, how we adapt to impacts already underway, and how societies respond to risk. Drawing on insights from behavioral and cognitive science, Dr. Hayhoe will explore why information alone rarely drives action and what scientists can do to ensure our work more effectively informs decisions that ultimately determine our shared future. Navigating uncertainty, it turns out, is as much a human challenge as it is a scientific one.