There’s a lot at stake with global warming

Our planet’s climate is anything but simple. All kinds of factors influence it, from massive events on the Sun to the growth of microscopic creatures in the oceans, and there are subtle interactions between many of these factors.

Yet despite all the complexities, a firm and ever-growing body of evidence points to a clear picture: the world is warming, this warming is due to human activity increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and if emissions continue unabated the warming will too, with increasingly serious consequences.

Yes, there are still big uncertainties in some predictions, but these swing both ways. For example, the response of clouds could slow the warming or speed it up.


With so much at stake, it is right that climate science is subjected to the most intense scrutiny. What does not help is for the real issues to be muddied by discredited arguments or wild theories.

So for those who are not sure what to believe, here is our round-up of the most common climate myths and misconceptions.

There is a guide to assessing the evidence, and the articles we’ve included contain lots of links to primary research and major reports for those who want to follow through to the original sources.

What is happening now?

New: Any cooling disproves global warming

Global warming stopped in 1998

Antarctica is getting cooler, not warmer, disproving global warming

Polar bear numbers are increasing

The lower atmosphere is cooling, not warming

The oceans are cooling

Mars and Pluto are warming too

Does CO2 cause warming?

Human CO 2 emissions are too tiny to matter

CO 2 isn’t the most important greenhouse gas

Ice cores show CO 2 increases lag behind temperature rises, disproving the link to global warming

Ice cores show CO 2 rising as temperatures fell

The cooling after 1940 shows CO 2 does not cause warming

Why should I worry?

It’s too cold where I live – warming will be great

We can’t do anything about climate change

Is the sun to blame?

Global warming is down to the Sun, not humans

It’s all down to cosmic rays

What happened in the past?

The ‘hockey stick’ graph has been proven wrong

It’s been far warmer in the past, what’s the big deal?

It was warmer during the Medieval period, with vineyards in England

We are simply recovering from the Little Ice Age

What is going to happen?

Warming will cause an ice age in Europe

Higher CO 2 levels will boost plant growth and food production

Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming

Can we trust the science?

Chaotic systems are not predictable

We can’t trust computer models of climate

Many leading scientists question climate change

It’s all a conspiracy

New: The leaked emails prove it’s a conspiracy

They predicted global cooling in the 1970s