Science policy is an integral component of the CIRES research enterprise. CIRES is uniquely poised to integrate the social and policy sciences with the physical sciences. This provides opportunities to study the processes that define the use of science in decision making, to understand mechanisms of co-developing research with stakeholders to optimize its utility, and assess the role of institutions in defining the political landscape. It also creates a space to understand the challenges of communicating science through the media, which can help general understanding misinformation about science as it relates to societal challenges, including climate change. Science policy is at the heart of the CIRES mission of bridging science and society.