Climate Change: A Guide For The Perplexed
Climate Change: A Guide For The Perplexed separates fact from fiction and takes us beyond the rubbish that our media insists on feeding us on what is really the underlying issue of our time.
A firm and ever-growing body of evidence points to a clear picture: the world is warming, this warming is due to human activity increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and if emissions continue unabated the warming will too, with increasingly serious consequences.
Yes, there are still big uncertainties in some predictions, but these swing both ways. For example, the response of clouds could slow the warming or speed it up.
With so much at stake, it is right that climate science is subjected to the most intense scrutiny. What does not help is for the real issues to be muddied by discredited arguments or wild theories.
So for those who are not sure what to believe, here is our round-up of the 26 most common climate myths and misconceptions.
There is also a guide to assessing the evidence. In the articles we’ve included there are lots of links to primary research and major reports for those who want to follow through to the original sources.
- The ‘hockey stick’ graph has been proven wrong
- Chaotic systems are not predictable
- We can’t trust computer models of climate
- They predicted global cooling in the 1970s
- It’s been far warmer in the past, what’s the big deal?
- It’s too cold where I live – warming will be great
- Global warming is down to the Sun, not humans
- It’s all down to cosmic rays
- CO2 isn’t the most important greenhouse gas
- The lower atmosphere is cooling, not warming
- Antarctica is getting cooler, not warmer, disproving global warming
- The oceans are cooling
- The cooling after 1940 shows CO2 does not cause warming
- It was warmer during the Medieval period, with vineyards in England proving this
- We are simply recovering from the Little Ice Age
- Warming will cause an ice age in Europe
- Ice cores show CO2 increases lag behind temperature rises, disproving the link to global warming
- Ice cores show CO2 rising as temperatures fell
- Mars and Pluto are warming too
- Many leading scientists question climate change
- It’s all a conspiracy
- Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming
- Higher CO2 levels will boost plant growth and food production
- Polar bear numbers are increasing
For further reading, to get properly informed on this issue, see the weblinks below.
- Climate myths special, New Scientist
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- FAQs, IPCC (pdf)
- RealClimate.org
- How to talk to a climate skeptic, Grist
- Common arguments by climate sceptics, Logical Science
Adapted by Mark O’Brien from an article by Michael Le Page in New Scientist, 16/5/07
Share Climate Change: A Guide For The Perplexed with your friends on Facebook
Leave a Reply