It is widely accepted that climate change is happening but it is the cause of this phenomenon that is being hotly debated. Many scientists believe that the rapid climate change we are experiencing today is caused from the large carbon emissions man has been pumping into the atmosphere ever since the industrial revolution.

However climate sceptics disagree and think global warming is a natural process which man has no power to change. These views were recently encapsulated in a channel 4 documentary ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’ which at the time brought new support to the sceptic camp.

http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/G/great_global_warming_swindle/

Since then the arguments featured in the TV programme have been disproved and leading climate scientists have fought to ban the documentary’s release on DVD, http://www.oneclimate.net/2007/04/26/scientist-fight-to-ban-climate-dvd/ Listed below are

the main arguments that challenge the views broadcast in ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’ documentary:1. The Earth’s climate is always changing and this is nothing to do with humans. http://www.oneclimate.net/2007/04/17/myth-climate-variation-like-this-is-usual/

http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?tip=1&id=6230

2. Rises in the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are the result of increased temperatures, not the other way round.

http://www.oneclimate.net/2007/04/19/myth-carbon-dioxide-doesnt-cause-global-warming/

http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?tip=1&id=6231

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2004/12/co2-in-ice-cores

3. Computer models which predict the future climate are unreliable and based on a series of assumptions.

http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?tip=1&id=6232

4. It’s all to do with the Sun - for example, there is a strong link between increased temperatures on Earth with the number of sunspots on the Sun.

http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?tip=1&id=6233

http://www.realclimate.org/damon&laut_2004.pdf

5. The climate is actually affected by cosmic rays.

http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?tip=1&id=6234

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2004/12/recent-warming-but-no-trend-in-galactic-cosmic-rays

6. The scale of the negative effects of climate change is often overstated and there is no need for urgent action.

http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?tip=1&id=6235

7. The Kyoto protocol harms developing countries.

http://www.oneclimate.net/2007/04/27/myththe-kyoto-protocol-harms-developing-countries/

Global warming

Image by Climate Concern UK