ScholarWorks@중앙대학교

초록

The aim of this study is to confirm that the Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) represent a cumulative product of scientific certainty that has been progressively strengthened on the basis of scientific consensus. In this study, it is shown that the international authority and standing of the IPCC Assessment Reports are derived from the rigorous review procedures applied in assessing the state of climate science, the synthesis and evaluation of a vast body of climate change–related scientific literature, and the global collaborative structure underpinning the IPCC process. Furthermore, through a diachronic analysis of changes in the discourse of IPCC Assessment Reports, this study confirms that the current conclusions regarding the reality of climate change and human responsibility in the reports were not formed over a short period of time but are instead the result of a long-term accumulation of scientific consensus. The findings also show that the IPCC’s climate discourse has become increasingly refined by simultaneously strengthening scientific certainty while communicating the remaining uncertainties more clearly. These results suggest that, beyond the ongoing controversy surrounding the reality of climate change and human responsibility, the focus should now shift toward the rapid implementation of mitigation and adaptation measures to achieve climate resilient development.

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