Global warming skeptics

See Global warming skeptics (detail) for more information (and for history of this page).

Global warming skeptics is a term whose meaning has shifted; it has become shorthand for "opponents of effective action to limit greenhouse gas emissions". Thus it's now something of a misnomer: many of these opponents are not true skeptics, plus many now accept that global warming is occurring. The term AGW denier is also frequently used, with AGW standing for "anthropogenic global warming." Those "skeptics" who accept that warming is occurring, when faced with incontrovertible evidence, now find refuge in the claim that it is "natural" and has nothing or little to do with human activities.

The use of the word "skeptic" is falling into disuse. According to Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists, "We don't call them skeptics, because they are not putting forward alternatives ideas and having them tested in a peer review journals. They basically deny this problem."

Original meaning
Originally meaning "climate change skeptics" or "anthropogenic (human-induced) global warming skeptics", "global warming skeptics" referred to those who are as yet unconvinced by evidence that emissions of man-made CO2 significantly enhance the natural atmospheric greenhouse effect.

Evolution of meaning
But with the accumulation of evidence convincing the climate science community, there's been an evolution of inactivist arguments, often coming from the same person, starting with "Global warming's not happening", then moving to "we're not causing it", to "we're causing it, but it shouldn't be harmful", and beyond - with the single underlying constant being "there's no need to take effective regulatory action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions just yet".

Current meaning
So the term "global warming skeptic", as used at SourceWatch and elsewhere, has come to encompass any position within the umbrella group, "opponents of effective global warming action", where "effective action" entails putting a price on fossil fuel emissions, such that their true cost becomes clear and the economic "invisible hand" can wreak its market magic.

Not true skeptics
In this label, the term "skeptic" is a misnomer and a black eye on true skeptics, whose hallmark is that they haven't succumbed - much less, succumbed heart and soul - to confirmation bias.

Author Clive Hamilton, is his book Scorcher, says that one can find the following arguments in the various papers promoted by climate change deniers:


 * There is no evidence of global warming.
 * If there is evidence of global warming, then it is not due to human activity.
 * If global warming is occurring and it is due to human activity, then it is not going to be damaging.
 * If global warming is occurring and it is due to human activity, and it is going to be damaging, then the costs of avoiding it are too high, so we should do nothing.

Most Common Global Warming Skeptics Arguments
There have been hundreds of arguments made attempting to refute the scientific consensus on global warming. These range from various levels of outright denial (such as "There's nothing happening", "we don't / can't know why its happening (it's too complex to understand)", "climate change is natural", "climate change is not bad", and "climate change can't be stopped") to philosophical, statistical, historical, scientific and pseudo-scientific arguments. A few of the most common arguments include
 * The climate has changed before
 * It's the sun (not CO2 or people)
 * It's not really bad
 * The climate is cooling
 * There is no consensus
 * Models are unreliable
 * Temperature record is unreliable
 * Animals and plants can adapt
 * It hasn't warmed since 1998
 * Antarctica is gaining ice

All of these arguments have been refuted. Rebuttals to these arguments can be found at the referenced sites in this section.

List of individual global warming skeptics
A list of individual "global warming skeptics", or AGW deniers, would include:
 * Tony Abbott
 * Don Aitkin
 * Dennis Avery
 * Sallie L. Baliunas
 * Tim Ball
 * Robert C. Balling of Arizona State University
 * Glenn Beck, CNN TV Fox and Koch strategy group attendee
 * David Bellamy
 * Reid Bryson
 * Sonja Boehmer-Christiansen
 * Douglas Carswell M.P.
 * Alan Carlin
 * Robert (Bob) Carter
 * Ian Castles
 * John R. Christy
 * Ian Clark
 * Alexander Cockburn
 * Martin Cohen, and philosophical objections to the global warming theorists
 * Vincent Courtillot
 * Joseph D'Aleo
 * Martin Durkin
 * Paul Driessen
 * Freeman Dyson
 * Myron Ebell Director, Competitive Enterprise Institute's Center for Energy and Environment
 * David Evans
 * Ray Evans
 * The Rt. Rev. Peter R. Forster The Bishop of Chester
 * Stewart Franks
 * George Fox
 * Ivar Giaever
 * Robert Giegengack
 * Steve Goddard
 * Bill Gray
 * William Happer
 * Chris Horner, the author of "Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming''
 * Sherwood Idso
 * Andrei Illarionov, chief economic adviser to Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin
 * James M. Inhofe
 * Kiminori Itoh
 * Zbigniew Jaworowski
 * Aynsley Kellow
 * William Kininmonth
 * Czech president Vaclav Klaus
 * Hans H. J. Labohm
 * Donna Laframboise
 * Lord Lawson
 * David Legates
 * Marlo Lewis, from the Competitive Enterprise Institute;
 * Richard S. Lindzen
 * Bjorn Lomborg
 * Jennifer Marohasy
 * Stephen McIntyre
 * Ross McKitrick
 * Patrick J. Michaels
 * Christopher Monckton
 * Andrew Montford
 * Alan Moran
 * Luboš Motl
 * Alan Oxley
 * Garth Paltridge
 * Tim Patterson
 * Cardinal Pell
 * Roger Pielke Jr.
 * Ian Plimer
 * Arthur B. Robinson
 * Frederick Seitz (deceased 2008)
 * S. Fred Singer
 * Willie Soon
 * Roy Spencer
 * Carlo Stagnaro
 * Bob Stallman
 * Philip Stott
 * John H. Sununu
 * George Taylor,
 * Wolfgang Thüne
 * Jan Veizer
 * Len Walker
 * Anthony Watts
 * Bruno Wiskel
 * Sammy Wilson

Business Insider lists "The 10 Most Respected Global Warming Skeptics"

List of global warming skeptic groups
"Global warming skeptic" organizations include:
 * Australian APEC Study Centre
 * Competitive Enterprise Institute (US)
 * Doctors for Disaster Preparedness
 * Exxon-Funded Skeptics
 * Friends of Science (Canada)
 * George C. Marshall Institute (US)
 * Global Warming Policy Foundation (UK)
 * Heartland Institute (US)
 * Institute of Economic Affairs (UK)
 * Institute of Public Affairs (Australia)
 * International Climate Science Coalition (NZ)
 * International Policy Network (UK)
 * Lavoisier Group (Australia)
 * Natural Resources Stewardship Project (NSRP) (Canada)
 * New Zealand Climate Science Coalition
 * Scientific Alliance (UK)
 * The United Kingdom House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs
 * NZ Center for Policy Research (NZ)
 * New Zealand Climate Change Coalition (NZ)

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Global warming skeptics (detail)

External articles
http://www.grist.org/article/series/skeptics

http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php