Community philosophy and policies
Openness#
The Climate CoLab is open to everyone, not just scientists and policy makers. Everyone's contributions, even a single vote or comment, helps in the collective work of figuring out what we should do about climate change.
Honest broker #
The Climate CoLab is an open forum where all positions on the climate change issue are welcome. The CoLab community aspires to be an honest broker on this complex and controversial subject.
Scientific evidence and rational argument #
At the same time, the community adheres to the principles of the scientific method. Positions which marshall facts, evidence, and rational argument will receive the attention of the community. Those which do not will be dismissed.
Respect and courtesy #
The community expects its members to engage with each other respectfully and courteously. The community will seek to frame controversial issues in a way that is respectful to all sides in the debate and does not favor a particular perspective. Failure to act in a respectful and courteous way is grounds for loss of member privileges.
The general approach to engagement is in line with the behavioral guidelines that have been developed by the Wikipedia community. Another useful articulation of these guidelines appears in Wikipedia's Etiquette page.
Value Statement #
We are committed to developing proposals for what humanity can do about climate change that
- are consistent with the best expert knowledge currently available,
- respect the needs and desires of people all over the world, now and in the future, and
- can actually be achieved.
We are also committed to doing this while
- welcoming unusual points of view and opinions with which we disagree,
- respecting factual evidence and rational argument, and
- treating each other with courtesy and respect.