Adapting to climate change - Keep uncertainty in mind, scientist urges

Abstract

Hydrology and climate change There has arguably never been a topic in the natural sciences that has seen as much publicity and discussion in the social and political arenas as that of climate change. Perhaps this is inevitable given the projections of the consequences that are often reported in the popular press and governing briefings or policy documents from countries worldwide. “It is almost as if the ‘science’ of climate change has been taken out of the hands of scientists and is now more driven by political agendas, ” noted Prof Hughes. He was speaking at the 16th National Hydrology Symposium, held in Pretoria, in October. “One of the consequences is that effective scientific enquiry into an extremely complex issue has been Adapting to climate change – Keep uncertainty in mind, scientist urges While many forecasting models predict changes in the global climate with consequences for natural resources such as water, we need to heed the uncertainties of these predictions and structure our adaptation strategies accordingly.

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