Potential Implications of the IPCC Reform: Deliberative Learning and Difficulties of In-Depth Policy Assessment

Abstract

This chapter concludes the enquiry of this book into a new guideline for integrated economic assessments. The proposals for future integrated economic assessments made in Chap. 11 are briefly evaluated (Sect. 12.4) in light of the assumed direct effects of these proposals regarding the general norms for scientific expertise in policy from Part I (Sect. 12.1), risks and unwanted side effects (Sect. 12.2), and possible co-benefits (Sect. 12.3). This discussion can be regarded as Step 4 of a Deweyan enquiry; it is about evaluating (1) the means proposed for overcoming the problems of current integrated economic assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and (2) perhaps even the underlying general norms for scientific expertise in policy themselves – in light of the possible practical implications of these means. It is argued that realising the proposals from Chap. 11 may have several valuable positive effects, including on deliberative policy learning, while perhaps also facing some remaining challenges regarding feasibility and acceptance. Gaps in research and potential applications of the proposals to institutions other than the IPCC are discussed in Sect. 12.4. Finally, the thoughts on a philosophy-based framework for future integrated economic assessments developed in the present book are summarised (Sect. 12.5).