Support the Arctic Sea Ice Forum and Blog

Author Topic: IPCC RCP is useless (apparently)  (Read 1748 times)

anthropocene

  • Frazil ice
  • Posts: 128
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 37
  • Likes Given: 2
IPCC RCP is useless (apparently)
« on: August 15, 2018, 05:57:48 PM »
On another thread bbr2314 has stated that IPCC RPC is "useless".
To make it clear I assume we are talking about this:
http://sedac.ipcc-data.org/ddc/ar5_scenario_process/RCPs.html

I disagree. I could go into a long and detailed defence of the RCP - also listing the flaws I know of in the RCP (There are several - there always will be in a future modeling project of this type) but I don't  see why I should have to; To prove something is useless it is not necessary to list all the things it is useful for, it is required to state what the assumed purpose of that something is and why it doesn't meet that purpose, never has done and never will.

All I will say is that the general methodology follows what James Hansen did in the 1980s with 3 "pathways" (Which 30 years later has been  generally agreed on as a useful way to frame the model data and questions which we need answers to) and the RCP includes (mainly - nothing is perfect!) all the latest model data known to required margins of error.  Given that heritage, to say RCP is "useless" is a pretty extreme statement which requires pretty extreme evidence/argument to back up that statement (imho).

Neven

  • Administrator
  • First-year ice
  • Posts: 9470
    • View Profile
    • Arctic Sea Ice Blog
  • Liked: 1333
  • Likes Given: 617
Re: IPCC RCP is useless (apparently)
« Reply #1 on: August 15, 2018, 06:06:19 PM »
This is more of a comment, than a thread opener. I also believe there are other threads for discussing the IPCC or conservative scientists.
The enemy is within
Don't confuse me with him

E. Smith