Sustainable Consensus in an Uncertain Environment

Abstract

It is obvious that climate change has become a serious threat to humankind. Unfortunately, even though the scientists are near unanimity—which is rarely achieved in other fields—it is not seen as such by the masses. This chapter investigates the climate change consensus achieved between scientists, politicians, and the public. It maintains that the political aspect is the weak link, since courageous political decisions that benefit future generations can cause great dissatisfaction, among those who are potential voters and sponsors. Furthermore, the lack of a global understanding of what is sustainable impedes potential political agreements. This study clarifies that the public perception on the scientific consensus is largely inferior to the reality; even in highly educated populations, due to policies, educational programs, misinformation, and cultural difference. The study also shows that measuring consensus leads to a false debate about the value reached. Fuzzy logic is used to capture humans’ perceptions and proposes achieving the consensus by minimizing weighted incoherencies.