Dialogues on Climate Change
Humans are changing the climate. The scientific evidence for this fact leaves little room for debate. But climate change is nevertheless an issue that generates significant academic and wider societal debate. We debate about the many aspects of climate science that are incomplete or uncertain, we debate about the many ways in which it is and could be affected by human dimensions, and we debate about the many ways in which humans could – or should – respond to it. Disagreements are an inevitable part of thinking about this wicked problem, and indeed should be encouraged in the interests of good science and scholarship and, ultimately, for the benefit of an open democracy. And yet, with perspectives on climate change becoming more polarised, debates can often descend into vilification, oversimplifications and division. There is a critical need for more constructive dialogues.
Dialogues on Climate Change is a new journal that seeks to facilitate these constructive dialogues with a unique open peer commentary publishing model. It will foster rigorous critical thinking on all climate change topics by bringing different perspectives within and between disciplines into productive conversation with one another. In doing so, it seeks to advance our shared understanding of climate change science and scholarship and inspire more effective climate action.
For the period from journal launch until the end of 2025, Dialogues on Climate Change will publish on a sponsored Subscribe to Open (S2O) publishing basis meaning complete, barrier free, open access publication. Sage and Dialogues on Climate Change would like to thank MIT Libraries for generous funding support towards equitable, open access publication for this period. Additional institutional library funding support can be given by subscribing here.Anthropogenic climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time, affecting all aspects of our planet’s varied environments and societies. Yet, academic and wider public discourse increasingly suffers from a polarized landscape in which divergent social groups dismiss or deride competing forms of evidence about the problems we face and the solutions that are proposed. Climate change is a ‘wicked’ problem with no definitive formulation of the problem, nor the solution. It is a multifaceted issue that cannot be fully understood from any one disciplinary viewpoint or set of values. As such, debates often fall victim to oversimplification and division.
There is an urgent need for a platform that facilitates meaningful and respectful interdisciplinary dialogues across divides. Dialogues on Climate Change is envisioned as a groundbreaking academic journal dedicated to fostering these vital conversations. The journal aims to provide a space for scholars and experts from diverse perspectives to engage in critical discussions and debates, ensuring that all voices are heard and responded to; advancing the knowledge base surrounding climate change issues; enabling more informed and well-rounded understandings; and through well-informed debates, inspiring more effective climate action.
Dialogues on Climate Change will promote cross-disciplinary conversations by bringing together researchers and experts from various fields such as environmental science, geography, science and technology studies, economics, psychology, sociology, history and political science. Crucially, it will also promote conversations across divergent social values known to explain disagreements about climate change. The journal is committed to fostering critical thinking on the full spectrum of climate change topics, including debates within and between the natural and social sciences and the humanities on the physical and social causes and effects of – and responses to – climate change.
Dialogues on Climate Change will provide a platform where scholars can rigorously examine the strengths and weaknesses of different perspectives on climate change. By presenting an array of viewpoints, it seeks to bridge gaps in understanding among researchers, policymakers and the public at large. In short, it is poised to be a pioneering academic journal, providing an intellectual space for meaningful and respectful conversations and critical analysis in the pursuit of better comprehending and tackling climate change. We invite researchers and experts from all disciplines and worldviews to engage in these dialogues and contribute to our shared understanding of climate change.
| Rob Bellamy | University of Manchester |
| Shinichiro Asayama | National Institute for Environmental Studies |
| Holly Buck | University at Buffalo |
| Peter Irvine | University College London |
| Katharine Ricke | University of California San Diego |
| Babatunde Abiodun | University of Cape Town |
| Inés Camilloni | University of Buenos Aires |
| Alfonso Fernandez | University of Concepción |
| Mathias Fridahl | Linköping University |
| Oliver Geden | German Institute for International & Security Affairs |
| Clare Heyward | The Arctic University of Norway |
| Heri Kuswanto | Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology |
| Ina Möller | Wageningen University |
| James Palmer | University of Bristol |
| Juanita von Rothkirch | ETH Zürich |
| Kate Sambrook | University of Manchester |
| Christopher Trisos | University of Cape Town |
| Yi-Ming Wei | Beijing Institute of Technology |