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CLIMATE CHANGE MYTHS AND FACTS In philosophy, skepticism is the opinion that real knowledge is unattainable. Skepticism in science is good; it prevents science from being hijacked by a few powerful or charismatic individuals. Climate-change skeptics challenge the belief that we can know enough about the way the world works to determine the anthropogenic (i.e., human) contribution to climate change, or to even predict the future of natural climate change from the records of past variability. There are, however, two distinct types of climate change skeptics. True skeptics use data and well-established scientific principles to come up with testable theories that are contrary to the current consensus understanding of climate change. This process is absolutely invaluable for advancing our understanding of this topic. To date, no challenge of this type to the basic tenets of anthropogenic global warming (AGW) has been successful. The reason is not some left wing conspiracy or brainwashing at universities but instead it is that as people become more familiar with the scientific principles, raw data, and primary literature surrounding AGW, the evidence is compelling. This is not to say that there are not valid questions that can be raised about specific aspects of climate change - there are. These questions are what propel the research that is being conducted every day by hundreds of scientists around the world and here at Oregon State University. However, taken as a whole, the evidence in support of AGW is unequivocal. A different category of climate change skeptic questions the basic tenets of climate change using arguments that are wrong, misleading, and/or ignorant of recent research. Their arguments are well-known in the scientific community and have been frequently refuted. The purpose of this webpage is to provide links to resources to allow you to explore the actual evidence for the climate change myths propounded by this type of skeptic. These resources have been reviewed by the faculty and graduate-student members of GECO at Oregon State University who are actively involved in learning about and questioning climate change. If you have doubts, contact us! We can put you in touch with OSU researchers with specific interests and help you in your search for answers to specific questions. Climate Change Myths and Facts These links are ordered from the shortest to longest in terms of the amount of time it will take to review them. Climate Denial Crock of the Week - Short creative videos by Peter Sinclair that address common climate change crocks. Climate Change Controversies: A Simple Guide (download pdf) published by The Royal Society is a great (brief!) overview. The Climate Skeptics (download pdf) - This 4 page article summarizes the common types of climate change skeptics, their common arguments, and the science that has refuted them. It also contains a concise discussion about how scientists address climate change skeptics. At the end are a few links to further resources. ESRL Global Monitoring Division - FAQ regarding climate change. Climate Scepticism: The Top 10. A similar top 10 list of climate change skeptic's arguments with responses from the scientific community. Climate Change: A guide for the perplexed. A more in depth list of the 26 most common climate change myths and misconceptions. Has many links to further resources. Research Channel - A 34 minute video about how we know that the climate is changing and about the tools we have for finding out about future climate change. UK Met Office - Brief outline of climat change facts. (download pdf) A beginner's guide to understanding the issue of global warming - Woods Hole Research Center RealClimate.org - Links to get up to speed on the topic of Climate Change. Starts with beginner level understanding and then builds from there. National Academies - "Understanding and Responding to Climate Change" a 28 page booklet (download pdf) published in 2008. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report: 1. Working Group I: The Physical Science Basis 2. Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability 3. Working Group III: Mitigation of Climate Change For links to more general resources, see our Links page. See something wrong? If you see anything factually wrong on this website, or if you find any broken links or typos, please let me know. Thanks in advance! |
