Climate Change Is Real: Scientific Evidence and Denial

Introduction and Claim

Climate change has occurred throughout the earth's history. Ice ages and other radical transformations to the earth's atmosphere have led to dramatic consequences for life on the planet. Ample scientific evidence shows that climate change is occurring rapidly now, and that much of it has been driven by human activities. Moreover, climate change can have serious consequences for life on earth. According to NASA, the recent climate change pattern has been causing a wide range of problems ranging from ocean acidification to extreme weather events.

However, many people — especially those in the United States — still believe that climate change is a hoax, an exaggerated claim, or a result of natural fluctuations in weather patterns. While natural fluctuations in climate and localized weather have occurred and still are occurring, there is virtually no disagreement among scientists across a number of different fields of expertise that the current climate change patterns are directly caused by human activity (Cook et al.). It is important to reach consensus on climate change because its effects are devastating, and denial prevents proactive solutions. Overwhelming scientific evidence proves that climate change exists and is affecting both human and non-human life.

Background

Climate change is real, but it has nevertheless become a divisive political issue. The political reasons for denying climate change range from short-range economic expediency to poor logic. Those who claim global warming is a hoax do so for various ideological, political, or economic reasons.

Global warming and climate change are not matters of belief — they are matters of recognizing factual evidence and acknowledging the truth. There are several components to the climate change debate. The first is related to the simple existence of climate change. The second concerns what causes climate change. The third is what, if anything, should be done about it.

Data and Evidence

Data on climate change is ample and draws from all fields of science. NASA's earth science divisions outline the various parameters of climate change, which the organization describes as "unequivocal" (NASA). Since the Industrial Revolution, ocean waters have become thirty percent more acidic due to increased levels of carbon dioxide entering the sea via processes of evaporation and precipitation (NASA). These rates of acidification are accelerating. In fact, the rate at which climate change is occurring is "unprecedented in the past 1,300 years" (NASA).

Although 2014 may have been the "warmest year on record," the impact of climate change does not always manifest as straightforward global warming trends ("Climate Oscillations and the Global Warming Faux Pause"). Climate change affects each region of the world differently and does not necessarily manifest uniformly across all geographic areas. It is important to remember that extreme cold can be a result of climate change, which is why the term "global warming" can be misleading and why it is essential to debunk myths claiming that cold winters disprove it ("Climate Oscillations and the Global Warming Faux Pause"). A wide range of weather patterns — including droughts and storms — can be attributed to global shifts in atmospheric gases. NASA lists decreased snow cover on mountains, extreme weather events, glacial retreat, declining Arctic sea ice, shrinking ice sheets, net global temperature rises, warming oceans, and rising sea levels as the most obvious and measurable effects of climate change.

Scientific Warrant and Backing

Because there is a scientific consensus, climate change cannot be denied except by denying science itself. As Cook et al. discovered in a thorough analysis of almost 12,000 scientific reports, there are virtually no scientists who reject anthropogenic global warming. Global warming is real; the debate is mainly about what to do about it. The mainstream media, distinct from scientific journals, has presented the views of those who believe that global warming may be a hoax. This does not lend any validity to those claims. As Evans puts it, "There is no debate about the existence! The media has been partially responsible for implying there's a debate on climate change. There are great debates to be had on solutions" (Evans).

McCright and Dunlap found that liberals and Democrats tend to accept scientific data on climate change, whereas Republicans and conservatives tend not to. The nature of this polarized debate has created significant roadblocks for public policy related to climate change.