Climate Change Deniers

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Climate Change Deniers, also known as Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) Deniers, refers to individuals or groups who disagree with the global scientific consensus that emissions of man-made CO2 significantly enhance the natural atmospheric greenhouse effect. Often, their advocacy is funded by industry groups and corporations — sometimes disclosed, but more often not.

The use of the term "global warming skeptic" is falling into disuse.[1] According to Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists, "We don't call them skeptics, because they are not putting forward alternatives ideas and having them tested in peer review journals. They basically deny this problem."[2]

Evolution of Meaning

Originally denoted "climate change skeptics" or "anthropogenic (human-induced) global warming skeptics", the term referred to those who are as yet unconvinced by evidence that emissions of man-made CO2 significantly enhance the natural atmospheric greenhouse effect. But the accumulation of evidence led to a near-total scientific consensus,[3][4] making the word "skeptic" a misnomer and "a black eye on true skeptics".[5]

Since then the more accurate term denier has become universally used.

Climate Change Denial Arguments

Hundreds of arguments were made by deniers attempting to refute the scientific consensus on global warming.[6] All of these arguments have been refuted by climate scientists, as can be seen at sites such as SkepticalScience.com.

To summarise the situation, Clive Hamilton, in his book Scorcher, says that one can find the following arguments in the various papers promoted by climate change deniers:

  • There is no evidence of global warming.
  • If there is evidence of global warming, then it is not due to human activity.
  • If global warming is occurring and it is due to human activity, then it is not going to be damaging.
  • If global warming is occurring and it is due to human activity, and it is going to be damaging, then the costs of avoiding it are too high, so we should do nothing.

Prominent Climate Change Deniers

Individuals

A list of prominent climate change deniers includes:

The Australian magazine, Business Insider, listed "The 10 Most Respected Global Warming Skeptics" in 2011.[7] They comprised Ian Plimer, Bjorn Lomborg, Myron Ebell, Kiminori Itoh, William Happer (born 1939), Patrick Michaels, Michael Crichton (deceased), Alan Carlin (born 1937) and Ivar Giaever (born 1929).

Groups

Climate change denying organizations include:

Articles and Resources

Related SourceWatch articles

External Articles

External Links

References

  1. ↑ James Hrynyshyn (2011-11-04). FTL neutrinos and climate change deniers (or why I call the latter PSEUDOskeptics) : Class M. ?. Retrieved on 2011-11-05.
  2. ↑ Jean-Louis Santini (September 2013). UN climate report will not sway US deniers. AFP. Retrieved on 2013-09-22.
  3. ↑ John Cook (2010-06-26). Empirical evidence that humans are causing global warming. skepticalscience.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-04.
  4. ↑ John Cook (2010-06-22). How many climate scientists are climate skeptics?. skepticalscience.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-04.
  5. ↑ Daniel Loxton (2009-12-22). What, If Anything, Can Skeptics Say About Science?. Skepticblog. Retrieved on 2011-04-04.
  6. ↑ Coby Beck. How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic. grist.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-22.
  7. ↑ Business Insider The 10 Most-Respected Global Warming Skeptics accessed June 22, 2011.
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