Uncertainty in Texts about Climate Change: A Critical Mathematics Education Perspective

Skovsmose's concept of the formatting power of mathematics refers to the power of mathematics to influence our reality. The way uncertainty is formatted in mathematized problems influences our perception of the limits of such quantifications. In this paper, we apply concepts from post-normal science to analyse how uncertainty is described and constructed in texts on climate change. We have chosen texts that all refer to a figure developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) showing projections of temperature changes, including the source document, a newspaper report and a discussion involving master's students. Uncertainty is addressed quite differently in each of these texts. We discuss how insights into such differences can be valuable for developing critical citizenship.