Current Students and Staff

// University News

8 Dec 2015

White paper aims to raise standards and accountability of climate services

Professor Rob Wilby (Geography) and a community of international practitioners have published a draft white paper calling for an ethical framework for the climate services.

As awareness grows of the potential threats and opportunities posed by climate change, nations and agencies worldwide are increasingly looking to invest in preventative measures. But with increased demand and new commercial opportunities comes greater scope for malpractice and maladaptation.

Misuse and misrepresentation of climate services, such as failure to disclose research limitations and putting commercial interests ahead of human security can result in costly and potentially life-threatening consequences.

In the white paper Toward an ethical framework for climate services Professor Wilby and colleagues Peter Adams (Acclimatise), Erika Eitland (Harvard University), Bruce Hewitson (University of Cape Town), Catherine Vaughan and Stephen Zebiak (both Columbia University) outline four cornerstones of the ethical framework: integrity, transparency, humility and collaboration.

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