Climate change: A guide for the perplexed

[RedEarth]

NewScientist.com news service
Michael Le Page

Our planet's climate is anything but simple. All kinds of factors influence it, from massive events on the Sun to the growth of microscopic creatures in the oceans, and there are subtle interactions between many of these factors.

Yet despite all the complexities, 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.

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 lots of links to primary research and major reports for those who want to follow through to the original sources.

........links to all the subjects below are on this page...

http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/dn11462

Can we trust the science?
• Chaotic systems are not predictable

• We can't trust computer models of climate

• Many leading scientists question climate change

• It's all a conspiracy

• They predicted global cooling in the 1970s

Is the sun to blame?
• Global warming is down to the Sun, not humans

• It’s all down to cosmic rays

Does CO2 cause warming?
• Human CO2 emissions are too tiny to matter

• CO2 isn't the most important greenhouse gas

• Ice cores show CO2 increases lag behind temperature rises, disproving the link to global warming

• Ice cores show CO2 rising as temperatures fell

• The cooling after 1940 shows CO2 does not cause warming

What happened in the past?
• The 'hockey stick' graph has been proven wrong

• It's been far warmer in the past, what's the big deal?

• It was warmer during the Medieval period, with vineyards in England

• We are simply recovering from the Little Ice Age

What is happening now?
• Mars and Pluto are warming too

• Antarctica is getting cooler, not warmer, disproving global warming

• Polar bear numbers are increasing

• The lower atmosphere is cooling, not warming

• The oceans are cooling

What is going to happen?
• Warming will cause an ice age in Europe

• Higher CO2 levels will boost plant growth and food production

• Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming

Why should I worry?
• It's too cold where I live - warming will be great

• We can't do anything about climate change

We also published a blog to accompany this special, looking at the history of climate science

For further reading, see the weblinks below.

Related Articles
The 7 biggest myths about climate change
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/mg19426041.100
16 May 2007
Weblinks
Climate myths special, New Scientist
http://environment.newscientist.com/climatemyths
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
http://www.ipcc.ch
FAQs, IPCC (pdf)
http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/Report/AR4WG1_FAQs.pdf
RealClimate.org
http://www.realclimate.org/
How to talk to a climate skeptic, Grist
http://gristmill.grist.org/skeptics
Common arguments by climate sceptics, Logical Science
http://www.logicalscience.com/skeptic_arguments/skeptic-arguments.html