WORLDVIEWReligioncantrumpscienceintacklingunknownsp.431ZOOLOGYThezebravirusthatkilledJerkathepolarbearp.432GREENLANDIcesheetsetforwidespreadsurfacemeltthisdecadep.433InaCommentarticleonpage454ofthisissue,agroupofresearch-erswritingaboutthefuturedirectionoftheIntergovernmentalPlatformonBiodiversityandEcosystemServices(IPBES)notethattheorganizationis“promotingapredominantlyscience-basedunderstandingofbiodiversity”.Thisistobeexpected,youprobablythink.Nature,afterall,istheinternationalweeklyjournalofscience.Science-basedunderstandingiswhatNaturedoes.Yet,thatlinefromtheCommentisnotanendorsementofthat‘sci-ence-based’approach.Itisacriticism.Inthesamearticletheauthorsdismissarelianceonpeer-reviewedscienceas“tunnelvision”andarguethat“knowledgethathasbeenstandardizedandscientificallyvalidated”isinsufficienttosetusefulpolicy.Aboveall,theyinsist,theIPBESmusttakeadifferentapproachfromthatoftheIntergovern-mentalPanelonClimateChange(IPCC).ThedesireoftheIPCCtoproducestandardizedassessments(itisnowworkingonitsfifth)haslimiteditssuccess,theauthorsargue,becauseithas“overshadowedarguablymoreimportanttasks:synthesizingwiderperspectivesaboutchangingclimatesandspurringactionbymultiplepolicyactors”.Thisprovocativestanceraisesmanyquestions.Firstofall,isthecriticismoftheIPCCfair?Theanswerisyesandno.Thatbodyissetuptodrawfirefromallsides—themoresobecauseofitsclumsyhandlingofclaimedmistakesandthewaningofpoliticalsupportforpoliciestorestrictgreenhouse-gasemissions.YetcriticsoftheIPCCtoooftenoverlookitsheterogeneousnature:goalsandpracticesvaryacrossthethreeseparateworkinggroups,somuchsothatsomehavearguedconvincinglythattheIPCCshouldreleasenotacombinedreportbutthreedistinctones.Thepoliticalcloutofspeakingwithonevoiceisgreater,butalargertargetisalsoeasiertohit.HostilitytowardstheIPCC’sperceivedapproachperhapsflowsinpartfromhowclimatechangeisoftenpresented:asaproblemtosolve;assomethinglargeandexternaltotackle;andsoasso