Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Could the ‘Climate Sceptics’ be Right? Latest revision: 28 Mar 2010  This ppt is not.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Could the ‘Climate Sceptics’ be Right? Latest revision: 28 Mar 2010  This ppt is not complete, but has been put on vicphysics in order to provide this material for use by teachers and others who may need to counter the all to prevalent denier arguments.  Additional ideas welcome!  Contact us at

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Could the ‘Climate Sceptics’ be Right? Keith Burrows

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  This is a preview version of two different presentations we are in the process of preparing  1. A ‘Quick reference’ set of points for use in another presentation when denier points come up. Hyperlinks will take you to a set of quick answers to common points.  2. A fuller discussion of the common misconceptions to be used as a stand alone presentation or in conjunction with others.  PLEASE SEE WEBSITE FOR UPDATED VERSION OF THIS PPT  www.vicphysics.org ‘Teachers’ ‘Climate change’ www.vicphysics.org   28 March 2010 version Common Misconceptions by Climate Change Deniers

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee ‘Climate sceptics’ and ‘climate deniers’ Climate sceptics  Scepticism is an important part of science. Scientists always try to question and test their theories.  Scientific sceptics discuss their questions with other scientists through the peer reviewed journals. Climate deniers  Deniers take the supposed ‘debate’ to the public – inappropriately. They avoid discussions with the scientific community.  Deniers express no doubt about their position – or they would have to take action in case they are wrong.

Some Deniers

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Common Misconceptions (Deceptions?) Group 1 – It’s not really warming Group 1 – It’s not really warming Is the world warming or cooling? What about the past? Does it matter? Group 2 – Greenhouse gases Group 2 – Greenhouse gases Are we really adding to the greenhouse effect? Group 3 – The science Group 3 – The science Do we really know what’s going on? Group 4 – Distractions Group 4 – Distractions Irrelevancies that only confuse the issue. GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Common Misconceptions Group 1 – It’s not really warming 1.It is getting cooler - or at least the warming has stopped. It is getting cooler It is getting cooler 2.The Arctic sea ice is recovering back to normal The Arctic The Arctic 3.Antarctica is not warming and sea ice there has increased. Antarctica 4.The Middle Ages were warmer – it’s all sunspots. The Middle Ages The Middle Ages 5.The climate is always changing. The climate The climate 6.A bit of warming will be good. A bit of warming A bit of warming 7.It’s not really getting warmer, it’s the heat island effect It’s not really It’s not really 8.Sea levels are not rising, or have stopped rising. Sea levels Sea levels

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Group 2 - Greenhouse gases 1.The extra CO 2 is not from fossil fuels. The extra CO 2 The extra CO 2 2.CO 2 makes up a very small proportion of the atmosphere. CO 2 makes up CO 2 makes up 3.Water vapour is a more important greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Water vapour Water vapour 4.More CO 2 will help plants grow better More CO 2 More CO 2 5.The CO 2 in the atmosphere is already saturated The CO 2The CO 2 Common Misconceptions

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Common Misconceptions Group 3 - The science 1.The warming is caused by natural cycles - Earth orbit, the Sun, cosmic rays, etc The warming The warming 2.Climate models are just computer models which are not reliable. Climate models Climate models 3.Correlation between temperature and CO 2 levels does not prove causation – anyway, CO 2 is going up & temperatures falling! Correlation 4.Global warming just an unproven theory. ‘Science not settled’ Global warmingGlobal warming 5.Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions and anyway the IPCC is a political body. Many scientists disagree Many scientists disagree 6.Ice core data shows that CO 2 rises after the temperature. Ice core dataIce core data 7.CO 2 absorption is saturated. CO 2 absorptionCO 2 absorption

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Common Misconceptions Group 4 - Distractions 1.Past warming has been good for life. Past warmingPast warming 2.Technology will eventually solve the problem through geoengineering or CO 2 pull down. Technology 3.Tackling climate change is economically dangerous. Tackling 4.The increased CO 2 from the developing world will exceed any reduction the developed world can do. The increased CO 2The increased CO 2 5.Australia’s total emissions are much less than China’s Australia’s 6.People have been predicting global catastrophes forever and none ever come true. People havePeople have 7.In the 1970's they said we were approaching an ice age. In the 1970'sIn the 1970's 8.Climate change has been taken up by left wing groups to attack capitalism. Climate changeClimate change 9.The ‘hacked’ emails prove climate scientists cooked the data. The ‘hacked’ emailsThe ‘hacked’ emails

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”  The earth’s climate is influenced by many factors. A time span of several decades is needed to observe any trend.  These claims rely on ‘cherry picking’ a particularly hot year – 1998 the hottest year on record.  But choose 1996 or 1997 – Then EVERY year since then has been hotter!  The eleven hottest years ever recorded were all in the last 14 years (HADCrut data).

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  Top 10 11 temperatures on record (NASA-GISS data)  9 of them this century  None earlier than 1997  Top 11 all in the last 12 years (which one missed?)  8 out of 9 years this century in the top ten (2000 was 15 th )  But this is cherry picking!  PS: 2009 looks like being at least in the top 5! 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Just need to look at the data! Just need to look at the data! * *2009 estimated 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Just need to look at the data! Just need to look at the data! 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee (This is the one the deniers like!) (This is the one the deniers like!) 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee This is the one Monckton likes! (See later) This is the one Monckton likes! (See later) 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee This is what the deniers do –

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”  Annual temperatures are influenced by many factors including solar radiation, ENSO, local effects, Volcanic activity etc.  The annual global warming trend is only about a tenth of the yearly variation...

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 40 years

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Typical yearly variation compared to yearly warming trend

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee WEATHER CLIMATE CHANGE Which is why we notice the weather more than climate change!

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”  For this reason we should look at decade trends or long term averages CSIRO graph 11 year averages

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”  For this reason we should look at decade trends or long term averages

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  Which is more likely? OR

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped” “Lord Monckton of Brenchley”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  ‘Other factors’ include the El Niño – La Niña cycle (ENSO)  1998 was an exceptionally strong El Niño.  2000 and 2008 were La Niña’s  We are heading upward again now . 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  ‘Other factors’ also include the Sun – red line & curve  We should expect some cooling (green) to 2008 as both ENSO (blue curve) and Sun (red) are in a low phase.  Problem will be when they go higher again in the next few years! 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  A better indicator of ‘total Earth heat’ is the Ocean Heat Content Anomaly. Most warming is accumulated in the oceans and ice (62%): Global energy accumulation and net heat emission Nordell and Gervet 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”  A better indicator of ‘total Earth heat’ is the Ocean Heat Content Anomaly. Here is one estimate:

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”  And another from the CSIRO:  Ocean heat content is going up relentlessly!  and another showing several different studies....

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped” Here is a slide from Ashby – Note only 4 years (and a questionable source)

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”  Here is another four year graph of ocean heat content:  We could imagine it’s dropping

1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped”  But this is actually a small section of a larger graph! Another 4 year ‘cherry pick’ Actual trend

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee A different approach is to measure the total energy coming in from the Sun and the total being radiated out to space. A different approach is to measure the total energy coming in from the Sun and the total being radiated out to space. If they are equal the Earth’s temperature will remain constant, but if not... If they are equal the Earth’s temperature will remain constant, but if not...

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped” By measuring reflected and emitted radiation, and comparing it to incoming solar radiation “scientists have concluded that more energy is being absorbed from the Sun than is emitted back to space, throwing the Earth's energy "out of balance" and warming the planet.” * By measuring reflected and emitted radiation, and comparing it to incoming solar radiation “scientists have concluded that more energy is being absorbed from the Sun than is emitted back to space, throwing the Earth's energy "out of balance" and warming the planet.” * * National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (Washington, D.C.), The Earth Institute at Columbia University (New York), and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (California)

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped” Footnote:  “Some climate scientists are predicting that surface temperatures will remain static or even fall slightly over the next few years, before warming resumes. Their predictions are based largely on the idea that changes in long-term fluctuation in ocean surface temperatures known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation will bring cooler sea surface temperatures.” Michael Le Page New Scientist 15 August 2008  Let’s hope they are right – it may give us a little more time to get our act together!  The deniers have picked up this item – but forget the “before warming resumes” bit 

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped” Stop Press A recent paper in AAAS Science Magazine showed that changes in the amount of water vapour in the lower stratosphere could have amplified warming in the 1990’s and reduced it in the 2000’s Some deniers heard the bit about water vapour and not the rest and have claimed that it’s water vapour not CO 2 that is causing the warming.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-1 “It is getting cooler” “the warming has stopped” Stop Press “This doesn’t alter the fundamental conclusion that the world has warmed and that most of that warming has to do with greenhouse gas emissions caused by man” Susan Solomon, climate scientist at NOAA and author of the paper.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-2 “The Arctic Sea Ice is recovering”

This is a “recovery”?

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-3 “Antarctica is not warming…sea ice has increased”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-3 “Antarctica is not warming…sea ice has increased” This little piece of Antarctica has not warmed

1-3 “Antarctica is not warming…sea ice has increased”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-3 “Antarctica is not warming…sea ice has increased”  Antarctic sea ice patterns changing:  decreasing in some areas  increasing in others.  Antarctic climate influenced by many factors:  Ozone hole – strengthens ‘polar vortex’ winds  "We see a very mixed pattern of both melting and ice growth in the Antarctic," said Thorsten Markus, head of NASA Goddard's Cryospheric Sciences Branch. "Changes in the cyclonic pattern due to the ozone hole are one of the best explanations we have."

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-3 “Antarctica is not warming…sea ice has increased”  “The key is that warming temperatures can lead to more stratified ocean layers”  Jinlun Zhang, oceanographer, University of Washington  Warming  more evaporation  more snow/rain  fresh water sits on top of salt water  less mixing of warm water currents  colder sea surface temperature  more sea ice

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-3 “Antarctica is not warming…sea ice has increased”  Flooded Sea Ice Turns Snow to Ice  Snow accumulates on sea ice  ice sinks lower  waves wet surface  water freezes  increase in sea ice  See What’s Holding Antarctic Sea Ice Back From Melting? physorg.com September 2nd, 2009 Adam Voiland (NASA)

1-3 “Antarctica is not warming…sea ice has increased”  The climate is complex!  We understand a lot – but not all.  One small ‘paradox’ does not discount all the evidence of global warming

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-3 “Antarctica is not warming…sea ice has increased” Satellites Confirm Half- Century of West Antarctic Warming 1957 - 2007 NASA - GISS

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-3 “Antarctica is not warming…sea ice has increased” Larsen Ice shelf 31 Jan 2002 7 March 2002

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-4 “The Middle Ages were warmer” Any evidence is anecdotal, and restricted to specific regions. Any evidence is anecdotal, and restricted to specific regions. Even if they were a little warmer that is irrelevant as the reasons for the current warmth are quite different. Even if they were a little warmer that is irrelevant as the reasons for the current warmth are quite different. The rate at which the temperature is currently rising is much greater than has been seen in any historical time. The rate at which the temperature is currently rising is much greater than has been seen in any historical time. The temperatures we are heading for are much hotter than any experienced in history. The temperatures we are heading for are much hotter than any experienced in history.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-4 “The Middle Ages were warmer”  Typical denier 1990 graph 1960’s! From “The Great Global Warming Swindle” (2006) also used by Plimer in Heaven+Earth

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-4 “The Middle Ages were warmer”  The IPCC 1990 graph (red) with later versions

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Medieval warm period may have been about the same as recent averages The Rate of increase certainly was not. Where we are heading is very much higher. Different colours are different determinations Black line is thermometer records 2,000 years 1-4 “The Middle Ages were warmer”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 20,000 years Period of human history Medieval warm 1-4 “The Middle Ages were warmer”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  Medieval warm period was probably due to higher solar activity. 1-4 “The Middle Ages were warmer” MWP LIA

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  Modern warm period is not due to solar activity. 1-4 “The Middle Ages were warmer”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  This decade has NOT cooled as could be expected. 1-4 “The Middle Ages were warmer”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-5 “The climate is always changing.”  Yes! On the geological scale it swings between ‘hothouse Earth’ and ‘snowball Earth’ ± >5°C  On the historical scale the changes have been very minor – Medieval warm period, Little ice age for example: less than ± 1°C (actually only about ± ½°C)  Past changes have caused ‘mass extinctions’  We don’t want to be the cause of the next one!

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-5 “The climate is always changing.” Hothouse Earth Snowball Earth In the last 500 million years the climate has swung between ‘Hothouse Earth’ and ‘Snowball Earth’

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-5 “The climate is always changing.”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-5 “The climate is always changing.” Hothouse Earth In the last 500 million years the climate has swung between ‘Hothouse Earth’ and ‘Snowball Earth’

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-5 “The climate is always changing.” Snowball Earth In the last 500 million years the climate has swung between ‘Hothouse Earth’ and ‘Snowball Earth’

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-5 “The climate is always changing.”  So have sea levels!

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-5 “The climate is always changing.”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-5 “The climate is always changing.” Ancient coastal terraces form when sea levels were higher

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-5 “The climate is always changing.” Interglacials Snowball Earth In the last 1 million years the climate has swung between Ice Ages (Snowball Earth) and mild ‘Interglacials’ as we have now.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-5 “The climate is always changing.” But for the last 10 thousand or so years the climate has been very kind to humans! Variation only ±1°C max InterglacialInterglacial Period of human history

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-5 “The climate is always changing.” About 1000 yr ago: ‘Medieval Warm Period’ ~ same as 1960s. About 400 years ago: ‘Little Ice Age’ ~ about ½°C cooler. MWP LIA LIA

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-5 “The climate is always changing.” We do not want to go there! Hothouse Earth MWP LIA LIA

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-5 “The climate is always changing.”  Even temperatures in the last interglacial would be a problem – a little warmer than last century. SST = Sea Surface Temperature

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 6 metres higher than today 3 metres within 50 to 100 years during the last interglacial period when sea level peaked at around 6 metres higher than today. His findings suggest that at one point the sea rose 3 metres within 50 to 100 years.” “Paul Blanchon's team at the National University of Mexico in Cancun has been studying 121,000- year-old coral reefs in the Yucatan Peninsula, formed July 2009

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-6 “A bit of warming will by good”  Based on idea that the Medieval Warm Period was good for plant life.  This is true, but the warming we are looking at will be far more than that!

1-6 “A bit of warming will by good” ±½°C

Mediaeval Warm Period Little Ice Age

1-6 “A bit of warming will by good” Stern Review Past Inter-glacials 1°C – 2°C warmer Sea ~ 5 – 10 m higher

1-6 “A bit of warming will by good” Stern Review Miocene: 3°C – 6°C warmer Sea ~ 20 – 40 m higher

1-6 “A bit of warming will by good” Stern Review Eocene: 5°C – 8°C warmer Sea ~ 80 – 100 m higher

1-6 “A bit of warming will by good” Stern Review

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-6 “A bit of warming will by good”  Remember:  Human civilization has only ever experienced temperatures around plus or minus ½°C from the current temperature.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands”  Some claim that the temperatures have gone up only due to more buildings around weather stations – cities become ‘heat islands’.  This effect has been well known to climate scientists and they have gone to great lengths to account for it.  Atmospheric warming is easy to see, but actually plays a minor role in evidence for global warming. Melting ice, ocean heat content, changing weather patterns, moving ecosystems are more reliable evidence.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands”  Temperature measurements by satellites are easily able to avoid cities.  The fastest warming has been in the Arctic – hardly a place of many ‘heat islands’! More detail on following slides...

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands”  1) This effect has been well known to climate scientists and they have gone to great lengths to account for it.  Anthony Watts project: classifying US weather stations.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands” NASA Corrected graphs

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands”  NOAA took his data and compared temperatures from all stations with that from only ‘good’ stations...

1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands”  2) Melting ice, ocean heat content, changing weather patterns, moving ecosystems are more reliable evidence. Chacaltaya, Bolivia 1940 0.22 km² 1982 0.14 km² 1996 0.08 km² 2005 0.01 km²

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands”  2) Total mass of glaciers is decreasing. Wikipedia

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands”  2) Ocean heat content: Holds vastly more heat than atmosphere. Steady upward trend. CSIRO studies

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands”  2) Changing weather patterns (last 3 years rainfall) Just as climate models predict.

1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands” 2) Changing Ecosystems: Rosenzweig et.al analyzed data on 829 physical systems and 28,800 plant and animal systems from 1970. Analysis revealed a picture of changes on continental scales: In physical systems 95% of observed changes are consistent with warming trends. In living systems 90% of changes are most likely due to warming trends.

1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands”  3) Satellites can avoid cities

1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands”  3) NASA-GISS data more widely spread

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands”  4) The fastest warming has been in the Arctic – hardly a place of many ‘heat islands’! 2000’s compared to 1951-1980

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-7 “It’s not getting warmer – it’s heat islands”  NOAA go to great lengths to ensure their data is reliable. Their website explains:  www.noaa.gov/features/02_monitoring/weather_stations.html  Stations in isolated areas are more reliable than those in cities.

1-8 “Sea Levels have stopped rising”  There is no basis for the idea that sea levels have not risen.

1-8 “Sea Levels have stopped rising”  But some claim they have stopped.  But some claim they have stopped. (Ashby 2010) This is a very dubious conclusion from this graph! Again – a very short term trend (only 3 years here) is used to suggest a long term slow down. The same data to Dec 2009...

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 1-8 “Sea Levels have stopped rising”  Some  This

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 2-1 “The extra CO 2 is not from fossil fuels”  Yes, it is.  Carbon has two isotopes: Carbon 12 and Carbon 13 (one extra neutron in the nucleus).  Fossil fuels have less of the Carbon 13 isotope.  The proportion of Carbon 13 in the atmosphere is decreasing as CO 2 from fossil fuels builds up.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 2-2 “The proportion of CO 2 in the atmosphere is too small to matter.”  The amount of CO 2 is small but crucial!  The 99.9% (O 2 N 2 & A) have no greenhouse effect and so are irrelevant.  A simple analogy... Composition of Air (by volume) Oxygen20.95% Nitrogen78.09% Argon0.933% Carbon Dioxide0.04% (used to be 0.03%) Water vapour0 ~ 3%

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee

2-2 “...and the proportion of human produced CO 2 is even less.”  Some have said that the amount of human produced CO 2 is only a very small portion of the increase. (Bob Carter claims only 3%)  That is total rubbish!  That figure is obtained from the portion of human generated CO 2 staying in the atmosphere (~4 gtn) compared to all that going in and out (~108 gtn)  The ‘natural’ cycle is balanced! We are upsetting the balance by ~4gtn/yr now to the extent of a 38% increase!

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 2-2 “...and the proportion of human produced CO 2 is even less.”  Fossil fuel carbon has no C 14 because it has all decayed. (It is created in the atmosphere.)  The concentration of C 14 in atmospheric CO 2 has decreased exactly in line with the burning of fossil fuels.  To claim that somehow the increase of CO 2 is not due to burning fossil fuels is an extraordinary claim – with no evidence as to where it is coming from!

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 2-3 “Water vapour is a more important greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.”  True!  The total natural greenhouse effect warms the Earth by about 33 o C. It’s just as well we haven’t increased that by 35%!  The interaction between H 2 O and CO 2 is complex – they act in different ways

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 2-3 “Water vapour is a more important greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.” Greenhouse Warming +33 °C H20H20 CO 2 – 18 o C + 15 o C Can’t allot definite proportions to H 2 O and CO 2 because they act differently in different circumstances

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 2-3 “Water vapour is a more important greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.” H 2 O goes in and out of the atmosphere very rapidly

Once CO 2 is in the atmosphere it stays there for a century or so

Which is why some people want to see coal power closed

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  Because water vapour goes in and out of the atmosphere readily it is referred to as a ‘feedback GHG’ – more warmth, more H 2 O into the air, cooler conditions and it rains out.  Carbon dioxide is a ‘forcing GHG’ as it stays in the air continually forcing IR radiation back to Earth.   As well, H 2 O and CO 2 absorb different parts of the IR radiation spectrum. 2-3 “Water vapour is a more important greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  Absorption spectrum of H 2 O, CO 2 and CH 4 2-3 “Water vapour is a more important greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.” H2O CO2 CH4

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee   So it doesn’t matter how much water vapour is in the atmosphere, adding CO 2 and CH 4 will absorb more IR because they absorb different parts of the IR radiation spectrum. 2-3 “Water vapour is a more important greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee   True...   provided all other conditions are appropriate 2-4 “More CO 2 will help plants grow better”

 According to Peter Curtis, a professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University:  While crops may be more productive, the seeds contain less nitrogen. Nitrogen is critical for building protein  “The quality of the food produced by the plant decreases, so you've got to eat more of it to get the same benefits,”  “For example, the total number of seeds in wheat and barley plants increased by 15 percent, but the amount of nitrogen in the seeds declined by 20 percent.” 2-4 “More CO 2 will help plants grow better”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  And that assumes the supply of water and other nutrients is not affected by warming…  and that ecosystems are not disrupted…  and that plants won’t adapt to the new conditions and reduce their CO 2 uptake…  and that the extra CO 2 doesn’t melt polar ice and flood fertile areas…  and… 2-4 “More CO 2 will help plants grow better”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 2-7“The CO 2 in the atmosphere is already saturated”

2-7“The CO 2 in the atmosphere is already saturated”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 2-7“The CO 2 in the atmosphere is already saturated”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-1 The warming is caused by natural cycles - Earth orbit, the Sun…  Of course there are many factors which affect the climate!  That is not to say that greenhouse gases aren’t one of them – indeed we know they are very important!

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  Plimer says “the climate has always changed” – we just have to get used to it.  “If we humans, in a fit of ego, think we can change these normal planetary processes, then we need stronger medication.” 3-1 The warming is caused by natural cycles - Earth orbit, the Sun…

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee A 35% increase in greenhouse gas just might effect the ‘natural cycles’!

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-2 “Climate models are just computer models which are not reliable.”  Climate models are just the way scientists cope with all the factors and calculations which must be done to predict future climates.  The basic input is data and the very well established laws of physics and chemistry.  Models are tested and modified by running them over past climates.  They are very successful at predicting past climates

The basic data needed is measured in various ways and is well known. Notice that overall, incoming equals outgoing (342 = 107 + 235). Also, that large amounts of energy are absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases. (IPCC graph)

 Scientists put all the laws of physics and chemistry into computer models which can do the vast numbers of calculations needed.  Some of the basic equations: 3-2 “Climate models are just computer models which are not reliable.”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  The models divide the atmosphere and ocean into cells about 1 km deep 3-2 “Climate models are just computer models which are not reliable.”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  Remember this:  Economic computer models take human guesses about other human’s behaviour.  Scientific models take the very well known laws of physics and chemistry and apply rigorous maths.  There is a VERY BIG difference between economic and scientific computer models!  And climate models can be tested... 3-2 “Climate models are just computer models which are not reliable.”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  Results of models: 3-2 “Climate models are just computer models which are not reliable.”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  Ignoring our emissions: Coolin g Wrong! 3-2 “Climate models are just computer models which are not reliable.”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  Including our emissions: Warmin g Correct! 3-2 “Climate models are just computer models which are not reliable.”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  This is one reason climate scientists are confident that they have the basic science correct.  And those models predict more warming: 3° → 5°C this century...  unless we cut emissions! 3-2 “Climate models are just computer models which are not reliable.”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-2 “Climate models are just computer models which are not reliable.”  Missing ‘hot spot’??? FIX THIS!!!  The (US) CCSP SAP 1.1 Executive Summary states: "Previously reported discrepancies between the amount of warming near the surface and higher in the atmosphere have been used to challenge the reliability of climate models and the reality of human induced global warming. Specifically, surface data showed substantial global-average warming, while early versions of satellite and radiosonde data showed little or no warming above the surface. This significant discrepancy no longer exists because errors in the satellite and radiosonde data have been identified and corrected. New data sets have also been developed that do not show such discrepancies.” (From Wikipedia)

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-3 “Correlation between temperature and CO2 levels.” Typical ‘denier’ graph: Short term 1998-2008 Short term 1998-2008 Starts on high ends on low Starts on high ends on low Deceptive scale (looks like more than 10 years) Deceptive scale (looks like more than 10 years) Looks ‘official’ Looks ‘official’

3-3 “Correlation between temperature and CO2 levels.”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-4 “Climate science isn’t settled”  True! Science is never ‘settled’ and climate activists should stop saying it is.  The point is that there is a large amount of evidence to suggest that we are dangerously interfering with the climate.  Science always works by different groups advocating different approaches and often getting different results.  By continually checking and re-checking, eventually results begin to agree and consensus emerges.  There is not yet a complete consensus, but there IS strong opinion that we are changing the climate dangerously.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-4 “Climate science isn’t settled”  Some of the many science journals reporting on climate change:

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-4 “Climate science isn’t settled”  There are hundreds of papers published each year on the subject and many are conflicting.  The point.  “A failure by some scientists to be candid on the uncertainty of predicting the rate of climate change is to blame for fuelling scepticism about such predictions, according the UK government's chief scientific adviser.”  Beddington said scientists should give a caveat to their predictions where there was uncertainty, and release source data "wherever possible" – but added that uncertainty was no excuse for inaction. "I don't think it's healthy to dismiss proper scepticism," he tells the Times newspaper today. "Science grows and improves in the light of criticism. There is a fundamental uncertainty about climate change prediction that can't be changed.“

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-4 “Climate science isn’t settled”  “Performing cutting-edge climate science in public could easily lead to misinterpretation, and it will take a great deal of work communicating carefully with the public and policymakers to ensure that the results are used appropriately.” More knowledge, less certainty Commentary Nature Reports Climate Change 21 January 2010 Kevin Trenberth 

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-4 “Climate science isn’t settled”  From RealClimate see Unsettled Science TAKE MAIN POINTS RealClimate.org * Climate Science — gavin @ 3 December 2009 in Politics wpd. The reason why no scientist has said this is because they know full well that knowledge about science is not binary – science isn’t either settled or not settled. This is a false and misleading dichotomy. Instead, we know things with varying degrees of confidence – for instance, conservation of energy is pretty well accepted, as is the theory of gravity (despite continuing interest in what happens at very small scales or very high energies), while the exact nature of dark matter is still unclear. The forced binary distinction implicit in the phrase is designed to misleadingly relegate anything about which there is still uncertainty to the category of completely unknown. i.e. that since we don’t know everything, we know nothing.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-4 “Climate science isn’t settled”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-4 “Climate science isn’t settled”  The point is that we can not wait for certainty!  That will only come when it is far too late to do anything.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-5 “Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions”  Science is about testing hypotheses. Scepticism is central to science.  ….easy to find disagreements – consensus not so obvious  But the disagreements are about the details, not the general conclusion that AGW is dangerous.  Surveys are very misleading – a butterfly collector counts the same as a climate scientist.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-5 “Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions”  After assessing 687 individuals named as “dissenting scientists” in the January 2009 version of the United States Senate Minority Report (James Inhofe) the Center for Inquiry’s Credibility Project found that: Center for Inquiry’s Credibility ProjectCenter for Inquiry’s Credibility Project Slightly fewer than 10% could be identified as climate scientists. Slightly fewer than 10% could be identified as climate scientists. Approximately 15% published in the recognizable refereed literature on subjects related to climate science. Approximately 15% published in the recognizable refereed literature on subjects related to climate science. Approximately 80% clearly had no refereed publication record on climate science at all. Approximately 80% clearly had no refereed publication record on climate science at all. Approximately 4% appeared to favor the current IPCC-2007 consensus and should not have been on the list. Approximately 4% appeared to favor the current IPCC-2007 consensus and should not have been on the list.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-5 “Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-5 “Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions”  Some of the Australian “scientists” included in that report:  Ian Plimergeologist  David Evansmathematician  Bill KininmonthLavoisier Group, retired meteorologist  Bob Cartermarine scientist “carbon dioxide is beneficial”  Lance Endersbeeengineer  David Archibaldoil explorer “need CO 2 to counter global cooling”  Des Moore (IPE)economist  Bob FosterLavoisier Group, Mining executive  Ray EvansLavoisier Group, Mining executive  Don Aitkinsocial commentator  Robert Foster Lavoisier Group  Garth Paltridge retired physicist “AGW real but too small to matter”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-5 “Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions”  Many of these are:  Not climate scientists  Geologists  Retired  Economists  Social scientists  Have interests in mining companies  Associated or members of the IPA

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-5 “Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions”  This year a well publicised petition was sent to the American Physical Society to discard their position on anthropogenic climate change.  About 200 APS members signed it (< 0.5%)  BUT: It was organised by people from the Heartland, Marshall & CATO Institutes and other well known ultra right organisations.  It was ‘overwhelmingly rejected’ by the APS but still has a high profile on denier blogs.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-5 “Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions”  Of those who signed the APS petion only one had published a paper in related fields.  The vast majority were retired and over 60.  (Hey, what’s wrong with that?!)  Only a handful were under 50.  A large number had been involved in other denier movements.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-5 “Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions”  In another proper academic survey of scientists  3146 Earth Scientists were asked “Do you think human activity is a significant contributing factor in changing global temperatures?”  97% of the active climate scientists said ‘yes’ (see next slide)

Public 57% Active climate scientists 97%

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Some scientific bodies who have issued statements stressing the need for action on climate change – USA only  National Academies of Science  National Research Council  American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)  National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)  NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS)  American Institute of Physics  Woods Hole Research Center  Union of Concerned Scientists  Federal Climate Change Science Program  American Geophysical Union  Geological Society of America  American Chemical Society - (world's largest scientific organization)  Federal Climate Change Science Program - commissioned by Bush!  American Association of State Climatologists  US Geological Survey  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  Pew Center on Climate Change

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee UN Project on Climate Variability and Predictability UN Project on Climate Variability and Predictability United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) United Nations Environment Program United Nations Environment Program World Meteorological Organization World Meteorological Organization International Council on Science International Council on Science The Royal Society (UK) The Royal Society (UK) The Institute of Physics (UK) The Institute of Physics (UK) Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) Geological Society of London Geological Society of London The Australian Academy of Sciences The Australian Academy of Sciences The Australian CSIRO The Australian CSIRO The Australian Bureau of Meterology The Australian Bureau of Meterology The Australian Institute of Physics The Australian Institute of Physics The Institution of Engineers Australia The Institution of Engineers Australia The Australian Meteorological And Oceanographic Society The Australian Meteorological And Oceanographic Society … and many more! … and many more! Some scientific bodies who have issued statements stressing the need for action on climate change – Rest of World

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-5 “Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions”  Better still, look at the published science!  The vast bulk of published science is saying the same thing:

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Where is the consensus?  Let’s look at the key science journals!

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  Let’s look at the key science journals!

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-5 “Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions”  There are a small number of published articles claiming alternative explanations for warming.  This is a natural part of science – always testing ideas by trying to disprove them.  None of these papers ‘disproves’ AGW, they only cast some doubt on some aspects.  Most of these are usually cleared up within a year or so and yet are still quoted by deniers.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee From a ‘denier’ presentation by Leon Ashby

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-5 “Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions”  This paper has been very thoroughly refuted as total rubbish!  It was published in an obscure Hungarian journal and is full of fundamental errors.  Why would we risk the future of the planet on one obscure publication????

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-5 “Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions”  The nature of science is to be sceptical – that is how it has progressed.  One article going against the general opinion does not negate all the others.  Articles questioning the general opinion are valuable to scientists...  but can be, and are, misused by deniers.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-5 “Many scientists disagree with the IPCC conclusions”  The “Oregon Petition” which was signed by about 31,000 ‘scientists’ is often quoted as showing that “there is no consensus on AGW”.  It is important to realise that it was a PETITION not a survey:  It could be signed by anyone who could claim they were any sort of “scientist”. (No need for any climate connection!)  Signers were encouraged to send it on to anyone else who would sign.  Anyone could request a form from the website.  There were many fraudulent signers  The actual number of signers was a very small portion of people in the US who could claim to be a ‘scientist’.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee3-5  The “Oregon Petition” was discussed in eSkeptic, the newsletter of the Skeptic Society. The conclusion:  “In conclusion, through his Global Warming Petition Project, Arthur Robinson has solicited the opinions of the wrong group of people in the wrong way and drawn the wrong conclusions about any possible consensus among relevant and qualified scientists regarding the hypothesis of human-caused global warming. His petition is unqualified to deliver answers about a consensus in which the public is interested. He has a right to conduct any kind of petition drive he wishes, but he is not ethically entitled to misrepresent his petition as a fair reflection of relevant scientific opinion. He has confused his political with his scientific aims and misled the public in the process.”  http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/08-11-12/

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-6 “Ice core data shows CO 2 rises before temperature”  There are many factors that can either trigger an ice age or bring the Earth out of an ice age.  A rise in the temperature will release CO 2 from the oceans, CO 2 has a positive feedback effect, i.e. it increases the temperature further, and so on ….

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-7 “CO 2 absorption is saturated”  Or “The greenhouse effect is already at a maximum”  “Adding more CO 2 won’t produce more greenhouse effect”  etc.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-7 “CO 2 absorption is saturated”

 1900 paper by Angstrom

3-7 “CO 2 absorption is saturated”  1900 paper by Angstrom 30 cm

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-7 “CO 2 absorption is saturated”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 3-7 “CO 2 absorption is saturated”  This

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 4-1 “Past warming has been good for life.”  True – Once conditions became established! ...TBC

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 4-2 “Technology will solve the problem”  through geoengineering or CO 2 pull down.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 4-3 “Tackling CC is economically dangerous”  Tackling climate change is economically dangerous.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 4-4 “CO 2 from the developing world”  The increased CO 2 from the developing world will exceed any reduction the developed world can do.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 4-5 “Australia’s emissions are relatively low”  China’s emissions are many times ours  True – But what about emissions per person?  Get graph of total emissions showing Aust as well as total population

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 25.6 ÷ 3.9 = 6.6 4-5 “Australia’s emissions are relatively low”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee  It is astounding that supposedly rational, much less moral, people will use this sort of argument!  As a heavy coal/oil user nation we have a responsibility to find ways to overcome the problem WE have created – the Chinese didn’t create it! 4-5 “Australia’s emissions are relatively low”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 4-6 “Catastrophic predictions don’t come true”  People have been predicting global catastrophes forever and none ever come true.  The Y2K bug was supposed to bring the electronic world to a halt in 2000!  People realised that it could be a problem AND TOOK APPROPRIATE ACTION!  Same with Ozone hole.  Most other dire predictions were not from scientists.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 4-7 “They said we were heading for an ice age!”  In the 1970's they said we were approaching an ice age.  We are – or we were until our CO2 emissions outweighed the very slow return toward another ice age in a few thousand years.  That was a hypothesis being discussed in the 70’s, but there were no firm conclusions about it – despite what some media reports said.

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee 4-8 “It’s a left wing political ploy”  “Climate change has been taken up by left wing groups to attack capitalism.”  So somehow left wing groups have hoodwinked the huge numbers of scientists (right back to Fourier and Arrhenius) into becoming political radicals prepared to give up their commitment to truth seeking!  This is just evidence of the extraordinary nonsense the deniers will sink to.

4-9 “‘Climategate’ showed scientists cooked the data.”

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Bolt: Cried one, IPCC co-author Kevin Trenberth, in an email to other members of this conspiracy: "The fact is that we cannot account for the lack of warming at the moment and it's a travesty that we can' t." Trenberth is actually concerned about our inability to track small year-to-year variations in the radiative fluxes – which would help quantify the current changes in the Earth’s energy budget. The email comment has absolutely nothing to do with a lack of warming! In his recent paper: An imperative for climate change planning: tracking Earth’s global energy … he discusses the need for better measurements of radiative fluxes

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee New Scientist (web) 25 Nov: “An analysis by New Scientist finds scant evidence of data abuse, but does show persistent efforts to suppress work by climate sceptics. “Mostly the researchers are exposed as doing what they are supposed to do: engaging in an often adversarial process to arrive at the truth. One long exchange ends: "This is ultimately about science, it's not personal." 4-9

4-9 “Hacked emails show scientists cooked the data.” “The e-mails show researchers speaking privately to one another, and it’s not always pretty. They bad-mouth colleagues and critics (“The kindest interpretation is that he is a complete idiot...,” says one about another climate scientist). They discuss how to avoid releasing raw data to critics. They worry that certain journals are becoming too sympathetic to the other side.”

4-9 “Hacked emails show scientists cooked the data.” “What the e-mails do not show, however, is a grand conspiracy to concoct global warming. Instead, they show sincere researchers struggling to do good work in a highly politicized environment — and sometimes losing their tempers.”

The Psychology of climate denial  Psychological Adaptation to the Threats and Stresses of a Four Degree World  A paper for “Four Degrees and Beyond” conference, Oxford University 28-30 September 2009  Clive Hamilton, Charles Sturt Professor of Public Ethics, Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the Australian National University  Tim Kasser, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Knox College, Illinois, USA  Web link??

We group the coping strategies that people are likely to use in the face of global warming into three types. 1. Denial strategies. These strategies aim primarily at suppressing anxiety associated with predictions of climate disruption by not allowing the facts to be accepted in the conscious mind. By denying the reality of the facts, no emotions need be felt. 2. Maladaptive coping strategies. Those using these methods acknowledge and accept the facts about global warming up to a point, but the emotional impact is such that they need somehow to blunt some aspects of the facts or the associated emotions. As such, these methods of coping can be maladaptive or unhelpful both to the individual and to the situation because they impede appropriate action. 3. Adaptive coping strategies. These strategies are deployed when the person accepts both the facts and the accompanying emotions, and then tries to act on the basis of both. They are adaptive in the sense of promoting psychological adjustment to new circumstances and stimulating actions appropriate to the new reality.

 This APA Climate Change Task Force Report considers psychology’s contribution to climate change by addressing the following six questions:  Section 1: How do people understand the risks imposed by climate change?  Section 2: What are the human behavioral contributions to climate change and the psychological and contextual drivers of these contributions?  Section 3: What are the psychosocial impacts of climate change?  Section 4: How do people adapt to and cope with the perceived threat and unfolding impacts of climate change?  Section 5: Which psychological barriers limit climate change action?  Section 6: How can psychologists assist in limiting climate change?

 To be continued!

Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Could the ‘Climate Sceptics’ be Right? Latest revision: 28 Mar 2010  This ppt is not.

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Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee Could the ‘Climate Sceptics’ be Right? Latest revision: 28 Mar 2010  This ppt is not.

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