Philosophy of Climate Science

Abstract

The use of climate simulations in scientific assessments of climate change and in the formulation of climatechange scenarios has been contested for, among others, methodological reasons. The "philosophy of climate science"encompasses discussions about the methodology of climate science. Three issues with respect to climate simulation arediscussed: (i) model hierarchy and complexity, (ii) tuning and falsifiability, and (iii) uncertainty. In this discussion paperit is argued that high?resolution and low?resolution climate models have complementary roles to play in the scienceof climate change. The role of computer simulations in climate science deserves further philosophical study in orderto better assess their quality for informing climate policy making.