A Critical Evaluation of Global Environmental Assessments: The Climate Experience

Overview

This paper provides an introduction, background and overview to the Workshop on Global Environmental Assessment and Public Policy -- A Critical Evaluation of Global Environmental Assessments: The Climate Experience. The workshop brought together scholars and practitioners in a joint effort to fashion a deeper critical understanding of global environmental assessment and its role in shaping the relationship between science and policy. Part 1 of this paper describes the Global Environmental Assessment (GEA) Project of which the Workshop is a part, summarizing its motivations, goals and strategic plan. Part 2 reviews the Project's first year of research on assessments of climate change and previews some of its more general findings. Finally, Part 3 turns to the Workshop proper and reviews its objectives, organization and point of departure.