INSIGHTS
Some people deny global warming exists due to inaccurate temperature data and unreliable climate models.
The belief that climate change is an expected and natural part of the earth's cycle is cited as a reason for denying global warming.
COMMON REASONS FOR DENYING GLOBAL WARMING
A 2018 poll by the National Surveys on Energy and Environment found that 15% of Americans do not believe that the climate is changing, while 12% are not sure if it is changing. Of the 72% that believe there is climate change, 12% do not believe it is due to human activities. Ten common reasons for denying the existence of global warming: 1) lack of consensus among scientists, 2) climate models are unreliable, 3) changes in the climate are a part of the earth’s natural cycle, 4) the earth is actually cooling, 5) glaciers are growing and more ice is being produced, 6) no empirical evidence, 7) human activity does not affect the climate, 8) temperature data is inaccurate, 9) lack of historical data, and 10) record snow falls.
Skeptical Science has compiled a list of the most common reasons people claim climate change and global warming do not exist. Although the list includes almost 200 myths, most are very similar in nature. We consolidated the list and corroborated its findingswith other credible reports. We organized the details into the following prevalent themes: 1. There is a lack of consensus among scientists regarding global warming, specifically whether human activity is a cause.
2. Climate models are unreliable. They have been unable to simulate past climate features and, therefore, cannot be reliable in predicting future climatefeatures .
3. "Climate change is a natural part of the earth’s cycle." Current changes in the earth’s temperature are within +/- 5°F of the past 3,000 years.
4. The earth is actually cooling. Evidence from NASA shows that from 2016 to 2018 the global average temperature has dropped by 0.56 degrees Celsius.
5. Glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets are actually growing, not melting. In late 2017, scientists found thatice was freezing on parts of the Ross Ice Shelf in West Antarctica.
6. There is no empirical evidence that global warming is taking place. Since predictions are based on unreliable climate models and inaccurate temperature data, global warming is just a theory.
7. Human activity, specifically a rise in CO2 levels, has not been proven to cause global warming contradicting the core thesis in the climate change theory.
8. Temperature datais inaccurate. Since many weather stations are located in urban areas, the data is corrupted by “urban heat islands.”
9. There is a lack of historical weather data to accurately predict trends. Weather datawas not historically recorded before the 1850s. In addition, technology, such as weather satellites are much more recent.
10. There have been record snowfalls the last few years. In fact, in 2017 there was more snowfall on land north of the equator than there has been
since 1985, “roughly 360,000 square miles more than the average snow cover from 1981 to 2010.”
Some people deny global warming exists due to inaccurate temperature data and unreliable climate models.
The belief that climate change is an expected and natural part of the earth's cycle is cited as a reason for denying global warming.
COMMON REASONS FOR DENYING GLOBAL WARMING
A 2018 poll by the National Surveys on Energy and Environment found that 15% of Americans do not believe that the climate is changing, while 12% are not sure if it is changing. Of the 72% that believe there is climate change, 12% do not believe it is due to human activities. Ten common reasons for denying the existence of global warming: 1) lack of consensus among scientists, 2) climate models are unreliable, 3) changes in the climate are a part of the earth’s natural cycle, 4) the earth is actually cooling, 5) glaciers are growing and more ice is being produced, 6) no empirical evidence, 7) human activity does not affect the climate, 8) temperature data is inaccurate, 9) lack of historical data, and 10) record snow falls.
Skeptical Science has compiled a list of the most common reasons people claim climate change and global warming do not exist. Although the list includes almost 200 myths, most are very similar in nature. We consolidated the list and corroborated its findings
2. Climate models are unreliable. They have been unable to simulate past climate features and, therefore, cannot be reliable in predicting future climate
3. "Climate change is a natural part of the earth’s cycle." Current changes in the earth’s temperature are within +/- 5°F of the past 3,000 years.
4. The earth is actually cooling. Evidence from NASA shows that from 2016 to 2018 the global average temperature has dropped by 0.56 degrees Celsius.
5. Glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets are actually growing, not melting. In late 2017, scientists found that
6. There is no empirical evidence that global warming is taking place. Since predictions are based on unreliable climate models and inaccurate temperature data, global warming is just a theory.
7. Human activity, specifically a rise in CO2 levels, has not been proven to cause global warming contradicting the core thesis in the climate change theory.
8. Temperature data
9. There is a lack of historical weather data to accurately predict trends. Weather data
10. There have been record snowfalls the last few years. In fact, in 2017 there was more snowfall on land north of the equator than there has been