Key Question
Do most climate experts agree that we face a climate crisis?
Some certainly do, but for example in 2010 Arthur Brouhard Robinson asked around in the United States and found 31,487 American scientists including 9,029 with PhDs who agreed to this petition.
The media spreads the claim that there is a “consensus” of 97% of scientists and academic institutions as “proof” that “the science is settled’. You may want to read for yourself the claimed “consensus” studies methodology it does little to hide it motivated reasoning. Friends of Science in 2014 compiled a report 97% CONSENSUS? NO! GLOBAL WARMING MATH MYTHS & SOCIAL PROOFS which helps untangle the web and why there is in fact no consensus on human-caused global warming as claimed in these studies.
Science is not a democracy. Israeli‐American physics professor at the Racah Institute of Physics of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Dr. Nir Shaviv can explain more how science is about evidence and not consensus.
So, what do the “97% consensus” scientists generally agree on?
- The earth has warmed a bit less than one degree Celsius since the end of the Little Ice Age around 1860.
- Human industrial activity and emissions, especially since the 1950s, likely contributed to that warming. There is no agreement about how much of the warming was due to human industrial emissions.
- Climate change is real. Over the past 4.5 billion years of earths history, it is clear that climate changes all the time, often in cyclical patterns that are unrelated to the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere.
- Carbon dioxide has some warming properties in the atmosphere; there is no scientific agreement on the ratio of this impact (known as “climate sensitivity”). In the geological record, we see that carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is not the cause but a consequence of climate change due to outgassing of carbon dioxide as the oceans warm.
Climate change isn't a new phenomenon driven only by carbon dioxide from human industrial emissions and activities but climate has always typically changed in cycles. Natural forces of climate change are chaotic and have complex dynamic interplay.
Dr. John Harper discusses various natural climate change factors in this series of short videos.
How You Can Help
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Staying informed on important topics, such as climate change, enhances our understanding of the world. This empowers us to engage in meaningful conversations and equips us to make informed decisions that can lead to positive change.
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Asking questions unlocks a powerful curiosity, helping everyone gain clarity.
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Important Climate Questions
Have a different question and can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Reach out to us by sending us an email and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
- Adaptation, Prosperity, and Environmental Stewardship
Given the uncertainty of climate science and the unsoundest of proposed migrations, it our responsibility to demand accountability.
Learn more- Do we need to worry about carbon dioxide?
Unlikely, Carbon dioxide is plant food. Calling it 'carbon pollution' is political and not scientifically based.
Learn more- Is anything unusual happening?
Maybe, for although modernity isn't historical the recent climate changes do fall within natural variability.
Learn more- Can we afford the policies proposed by climate alarmists?
No, the costs would be trillions of dollars for Canada to impose current proposals with a possible net-negative environmental effect.
Learn more- Can we forecast climate?
Not accurately, models make assumptions about a complex system so their forecasts remain unreliable at this time.
Learn more