Amid growing concerns that governments are failing to turn talk into action in the fight against climate change a major new study has warned scientists are simply failing to get their message across.

Researchers led by the University of Cambridge conducted a systematic review of over 3000 scientific papers focused on climate change mitigation, and found that recommendations of how to turn science into policy were either non-existent, failed to account for uncertainty, or were ‘wish lists’ disconnected from the study’s findings.

In a period when trust in institutions is at historic lows and scientists are under increasing pressure to develop solutions for net zero at speed, the researchers said that making policy recommendations realistic, relevant and transparent is vital to help improve trust in science, while also making it more likely that robust science can be turned into effective climate and energy policy.

The team added that although developing meaningful policy recommendations is a vital part of the research process, many scientists are unfamiliar with exactly how policy is developed, which can lead them to make unrealistic recommendations. To improve the quality of these recommendations, the team say that training needs to be made available, and funders should include policy reporting as part of the funding process.

“Our first step in making research more accessible to policy makers was to understand how researchers in engineering and climate science make policy recommendations now,” said lead author Dr Vangelis Danopoulos from Cambridge’s Statistical Laboratory. “And we found that while the science is robust, the policy recommendations – how the science gets implemented – were too often treated like an afterthought.”

One of the many challenges in turning science into policy is that while scientists are deep experts in a specific field, many of the people charged with designing policy have much broader remits. If these individuals do not have a fully accurate idea of what the risks and uncertainties are for a particular recommendation, then any resulting policy will be built on dubious foundations.

“This work wasn’t intended as a way to scold scientists, but rather to highlight that actually turning good science into good policy is a difficult and complex process, and it’s one that many scientists simply haven’t had training in,” said Danopoulos. “Anything we can do to support scientists in that process will ultimately mean better science, and better policy to support the transition to clean energy.”

Science will be key to  the success in transition to a net zero future and to combating the rising impact of climate change and the warming of the planet. Communication is key and the first thing that needs to be achieved is for both sides of the discussion to be speaking the same language.

Jon Guy, Editor,

Emerging Risks