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Global Warming MythBusters Webinar on Science Fact & Science Fiction Featuring Professor Brian Soden, IPCC Author.

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Presentation on theme: "Global Warming MythBusters Webinar on Science Fact & Science Fiction Featuring Professor Brian Soden, IPCC Author."— Presentation transcript:

1 Global Warming MythBusters Webinar on Science Fact & Science Fiction Featuring Professor Brian Soden, IPCC Author

2 Agenda General discussion of scientific credibility Common myths about climate change Questions & Answers Sponsored by the Florida Business Network for a Clean Energy Economy

3 Dr. Brian Soden Professor of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, WGI/AR4 Climate change

4 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007 IPCC Report Started 2004 Completed February 2007 152 Authors ~450 contributors ~600 expert reviewers 30,000+ review comments Contents Summary for Policymakers Technical Summary 11 Chapters Frequently Asked Questions ~5000 literature references ~1000 pages

5 The IPCC Sequence of Findings IPCC (1990) “The unequivocal detection of the enhanced greenhouse effect from observations is not likely for a decade or more.” IPCC (1995) “The balance of evidence (>50%) suggests a discernible human influence on global climate.” IPCC (2001) “Most of the warming of the past 50 years is likely (>66%) to be attributable to human activities.” IPCC (2007)

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7 Actual 1995-2000 observations … one of the most important outcomes of your study could be a clear statement of our present ignorance. That in itself should indicate the need for contingency plans. - Panel Respondent

8 The IPCC Sequence of Findings IPCC (1990) “The unequivocal detection of the enhanced greenhouse effect from observations is not likely for a decade or more.” IPCC (1995) “The balance of evidence (>50%) suggests a discernible human influence on global climate.” IPCC (2001) “Most of the warming of the past 50 years is likely (>66%) to be attributable to human activities.” IPCC (2007) “Warming is unequivocal, and most of the warming of the past 50 years is very likely (>90%) due to increases in greenhouse gases.”

9 Myth #1 Its not warming

10 The World Has Warmed Globally averaged, the planet is about 0.8°C (~1.5°F) warmer than it was in 1880. Eleven of the last 12 years are among the 12 warmest since 1880.

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12 Consistent Patterns of Warming Arctic sea ice is decreasing Greenland is melting Snow/permafrost decreasing Sea level is rising Ocean heat content is increasing More intense droughts Atmospheric moisture increasing Heavier rainfall events Increased heat waves WARMING IS UNEQUIVOCAL Mountain glaciers are retreating

13 Myth # 2 “But the globe is cooling!”

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15 Climate Models Expect This Observations Climate Model Predictions Observed and Predicted Changes in Global Temperature We don’t expect each year to be warmer than the previous one.

16 Myth # 3 “It was freezing this winter. That proves global warming is wrong”

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18 Myth #4 OK, but mankind is not causing the warming

19 Carbon Emissions from Human Activity The rate of warming over the past century is unusual. The rapid warming coincides with increasing carbon dioxide. The increasing carbon dioxide is due to human activities, primarily burning fossil fuels. Temperature Change ( o F) CO 2 Concentration (ppb) Carbon Emissions Evidence for Human Caused Climate Change 10001250150017502000

20 Myth # 5: You forgot about the sun

21 What About the Sun? Changes in solar activity contributed to the warming in the first half of the 20 th Century, but can NOT explain the warming observed since the1950s.

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23 Comparison of Modeled and Observed Temperature

24 Myth # 6: It’s a Natural Cycle, like El Nino and La Nina?

25 Myth # 7 “There is no scientific consensus.” * 2009 survey by Univ. of Illinois

26 Scientific Consensus The National Academy of Sciences: “The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear…(we urge) prompt action to reduce the causes of climate change.” 2005 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: “Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations.” 2007 American Association for the Advancement of Science American Society of Plant Biologists American Statistical Association American Geophysical Union Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics American Meteorological Society American Chemical Society Ecological Society of America Botanical Society of America

27 Myth # 8 “Climate Gate proved there’s a conspiracy.”

28 Climategate 101: Jones e-mail of 16 Nov 1999 "I've just completed Mike's Nature trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (ie, from 1981 onwards) and from 1961 for Keith's to hide the decline."

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30 Myth # 10 “Climate scientists are in it for the money.”

31 Follow the Money www.ExxonSecrets.org

32 Fossil Fuel Funding Since 1998, ExxonMobil has put $22,123,456 toward climate science denial. Pat Michaels - Dr. Michaels has acknowledged that 20% of his funding comes from fossil fuel sources. The Heartland Institute - $830,000 from Exxon The CATO Institute - $125,000 from Exxon American Enterprise Institute - $1,860,000 from Exxon George C. Marshall Institute - $745,000 from Exxon Heritage Foundation - $565,000 from Exxon These financial figures represent Exxon funding from 1998 until 2006. www.ExxonSecrets.org

33 Questions?

34 Resources Florida Energy Systems Consortium www.floridaenergy.ufl.eduwww.floridaenergy.ufl.edu Union of Concerned Scientists www.ucsusa.orgwww.ucsusa.org NASA’s climate change web site http://climate.nasa.gov/warmingworld/ http://climate.nasa.gov/warmingworld/ Climate Ethics http://climateethics.org/http://climateethics.org/ Real Climate www.realclimate.org/www.realclimate.org/ Clean Energy Works www.cleanenergyworks.us/www.cleanenergyworks.us/ American Business For Clean Energy www.AmericanBusinessForCleanEnergy.org www.AmericanBusinessForCleanEnergy.org Clean Energy Stories www.cleanenergystories.org/www.cleanenergystories.org/

35 Reliability of Proxy Temperature Records


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