How Many Climate Scientists Are There Really?

Addressing the oftentimes misleading narrative, it is crucial to clarify the reality of climate scientists. Far from being a single entity with a unified voice, the field of climate science is comprised of a diverse array of professionals dedicated to understanding and addressing climate change. Contrary to the impression often given, climate change is not solely the domain of a few sanctioned experts but involves a vibrant community of researchers, each contributing their unique expertise to the vast body of scientific literature.

The Extent of Climate Change Research Papers

One recent IPCC report included around 8,000 papers that were deemed relevant to climate change research. Assuming an average of three authors per paper, this gives us a significant number: approximately 24,000 authors. However, it's important to note that there may be overlapping authorship among these papers, and not every author who contributes to the literature on climate change is necessarily cited in an IPCC report. Therefore, the total number of individual climate scientists involved in this body of research is likely to be in the range of 25,000, though the exact figure is uncertain.

A Yearly Perspective on Climate Science

Each year, over 10,000 new papers are published in the field of climate science. These papers often have multiple authors, representing a collaborative effort among experts from various disciplines. For instance, the latest IPCC report lists 234 scientists as direct authors, but these scholars, along with the thousands of other contributors, collectively reference over 14,000 papers for input. Each chapter in the IPCC report includes hundreds of references, many of which are multi-authored.

James Cook’s comprehensive meta-study in 2013 highlighted that 8,547 unique email addresses correspond to just 60 of the named authors of these papers. This vast network of contributors underscores the complexity and diversity of the climate science community.

The Consequences of Limited Expertise

The insufficient number of climate scientists has significant implications. With a smaller community, it is more challenging to gather the diverse perspectives and specialized knowledge necessary to fully comprehend and act on climate change. For example, the vulnerabilities of the East Antarctic ice sheet and the impact of Arctic amplification on the Jet Stream, leading to weather phenomena such as the drought that has depleted Lake Mead to record-low levels and the severe Texas freeze that disrupted the power grid and resulted in loss of life, may have been identified and acted upon sooner if there were more climate scientists active in the field.

The importance of this work is not limited to academic circles. Policy planners and military strategists are only now beginning to address the implications of such climate-induced phenomena, often a decade after the knowledge was available. For instance, military planners are only now getting a belated start on the costly relocation of the Norfolk Naval Base, recognizing the need for the preemptive action that could have been implemented years ago.

In conclusion, the climate science community is more diverse and vibrant than commonly portrayed. With a figure of around 25,000 climate scientists and a yearly output of over 10,000 papers, the field is ripe with potential for discovery and action. However, the challenges of climate change necessitate an even larger and more robust community of scientists to meet the growing needs of global policy and planning.

References

1. IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Report, 2022.

2. Cook, J. (2013). Meta-analyses of climate change and natural disasters. Environmental Research Letters, 8(4).