Epistemic Communities and the creation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (PDF)

Seminar paper from the year 2019 in the subject Politics - Other International Politics Topics, grade: 1,7, University of Bamberg, course: Internationale und europäische Politik: International Institutions and their Role in Global Governance, language: English, abstract: In modern societies, science and scientific knowledge are considered to have a deep impact on society even beyond technological progress or economic growth. Science in general and scientific knowledge in specific represent an all-embracing power. They not only fundamentally determine how we see the world. They also influence political decision-making by providing new insights and altering how we perceive what societal and political issues are or how to solve them. Morisse-Schilbach even states: "It seems that the use of expert knowledge and especially scientific knowledge is increasingly integral to the way political and societal actors perceive and deal with political, economic, and social issues, both on the domestic and global scale."

This paper will analyze the influence of knowledge on the creation of international institutions. Led by the question "How did Epistemic Communities facilitate the creation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)?", the analysis starts with a brief introduction to epistemic communities. It will show how their work has an impact on political decision-making and how knowledge can cause demand for institutionalized cooperation. In particular, through the approach of weak cognitivism the following chapter provides theoretical background knowledge on how epistemic communities create institutions by providing knowledge and defining issues. Subsequent, the analysis continues with the development of "climate" to our modern understanding. The meaning of climate changed fundamentally through scientific findings and emphasized climate change as a global issue. In order to answer the research question, the knowledge of climate and ozone layer will be examined on its effect on the creation and expansion of referring institutions. Theoretically, pushed by knowledge, the perception of climate change as a global issue received broad attention by policy-makers. Rising perception eventually elevated "climate" to a global topic and caused need to act. Policymakers as well as referring epistemic communities cooperated globally and eventually created the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.