Governance & Policy
Scientific Consensus
Definition
Scientific consensus is the collective judgement, position and opinion of the community of scientists in a field, emerging when independent lines of evidence converge. On human-caused climate change, multiple studies of publishing climate scientists and of the peer-reviewed literature place agreement that humans are the dominant cause of observed warming at well above 97%, and every major scientific body worldwide endorses the assessment finding.
References
This reference provides supporting context for how “Scientific Consensus” is defined and used.
Source imported for editorial provenance.
Overview
How it is used
The concept structures assessment processes (IPCC reports as consensus machinery), science communication on climate, and legal arguments attributing responsibility for deception.
Why it matters
Knowing that consensus exists, and how strong it is, is the antidote to false balance — and the foundation of the authority on which climate assessments rest.