Natural Climate Change Debunked
To follow up with my previous post about having discussions about climate change, I also wanted to highlight the fact that these conversations may not always go the way you want them to. Even after you present all the facts, they may still disagree with you, and that’s fine. But don’t give up yet! A common point many climate change deniers will bring up is that the climate changes naturally, so let’s explore why this is false.
1. Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that climate change is a result of human activity
When ninety-seven percent of scientists agree on something, chances are it’s pretty accurate. Scientists pretty much unanimously agree that climate change over the last century is due to human activity, but it’s worth noting that this only includes the past century. If you are using this point in a conversation with someone who insists that climate change is natural, it might be beneficial to acknowledge that truth, but also point out that human-caused climate change refers specifically to modern times. If someone generally believes in science, why would they not believe in climate change?
2. Greenhouse gas levels have risen significantly in the past few centuries
Over the past six hundred fifty thousand years, Earth’s climate has fluctuated as a result of natural forces such as changes in orbit or atmospheric gasses. However, compared to the Industrial Revolution in 1760, carbon dioxide levels today are forty percent higher, methane levels are two and a half times higher, and our oceans are thirty percent more acidic.
3. Global temperatures are rising
Global temperatures have risen by an average of 1.4º Fahrenheit since 1880, which may not seem like a lot, but the number of record-breaking temperatures are growing, particularly in the US. Just recently, Death Valley in California recorded the highest temperature ever — 129.9º Fahrenheit.
4. Scientists have identified that the rise in temperatures is coming from the Earth, not the sun
According to climate scientist Gavin Schmidt, “if the sun were brighter, we would see warming all the way up through the atmosphere from the surface to the stratosphere to the mesosphere. We don’t see this. We see instead warming at the surface, cooling in the stratosphere, cooling in the mesosphere. And that’s a signature of greenhouse gas forcing, it’s not a signature of solar forcing. So we know it’s not solar.” If climate change was a result of the sun being brighter, then we would see all of the Earth’s surroundings heating up as well. However, scientists have found that only the Earth’s surface is heating up, indicating that the heat is coming from the planet itself rather than an external force. Additionally, the World Radiation Center found that the sun’s radiation has not increased since 1978, yet global temperatures are still rising.
There is a platitude of research indicating that the current rate of climate change is not natural. Natural climate change is one of the most common points brought up during discussions about climate change, but hopefully, presenting some of this research can help climate change deniers understand the situation better.