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Review of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program's Synthesis and Assessment Product 5.2, "Best Practice Approaches for Characterizing, Communicating, and Incorporating Scientific Uncertainty in Climate Decision Making" (2007) / Chapter Skim
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3 Additional Overarching Comments
Pages 11-12

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 11...
... As an example, consider on Page 4, Lines 32-33, where the authors claim that "Barring [sic] a few exotic exceptions, uncertainty about model functional form is inherently epistemic." The committee suggests that model functional form is often epistemic, but this is not inherently true except in a few exotic circumstances.
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From page 12...
... Notwithstanding this question of audience, the committee believes that even if the document is intended for the narrower subset of the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) researchers and assessors, there is benefit in stating difficult concepts in straightforward language.
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Key Terms

  • functional form
  • extremely negative
  • estimating uncertainty
  • stating difficult
  • amended slightly

  • true except
  • discussion somewhat
  • commonly understood
  • change science
  • difficult concepts

  • committee suggests
  • direct quotes
  • contextual information
  • multiple meanings
  • incorporate discussion

  • direct policy
  • expert elicitation
  • negative impacts
  • exotic exceptions
  • middle range

  • confusingly alternates
  • specific course
  • adopt robust
  • conventional methods
  • somewhat confusingly

  • stylistic issues
  • communicating uncertainty
  • policy prescription
  • complex explanations
  • parameter values


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