The recently published Working Group I contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the IPCC acknowledges that values play a role in the construction of climate change information. AR6 recognizes that science has its own values, including openness, objectivity and evidence-based thinking. However, it also recognizes that social values — fundamental views on what is good, right and important (see section 1.2.3.2 in ref. 1) — guide a number of decisions in the ‘construction, assessment and communication of information (high confidence)’ (see section ‘Executive Summary’ in ref. 1). This marks a departure from the traditional ‘value-free ideal’ of science, according to which social values should have a limited role in scientific research, while values that are epistemic (for example, precision and accuracy) are seen as legitimately influencing research.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01238-9
The value of values in climate science
