BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE:
THE CLIMATE CHANGE CONSENSUS
Scientific evidence on global warming trends in the last 50 years has been overwhelming.
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97% of scientists agree that human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, agriculture, are major contributors to the greenhouse effect, and that the resultant increase in levels of carbon dioxide plays an active role in warming the Earth.
Read on for essential information on this 97% consensus that some deny.
EVIDENCE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
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NASA, the Berkeley Earth research group, the Japan Meteorological Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Met Office Hadley Centre (UK) all show temperature records which chart the same peaks and valleys.
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These five renowned scientific agencies all show agreement that:
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Global warming has been rapidly intensifying for the past few decades;
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​​The Earth has been the warmest in the past ten years
THE 97% CONSENSUS
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Studies on the consensus of anthropogenic (i.e. human-caused) global warming have shown 90% to 100% agreement among scientists.
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Most studies show a 97% consensus.
EXPERT CLIMATE SCIENTISTS AGREE MORE
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It has been found that the higher the expertise in climate science, the greater the consensus amongst scientists.
WHO COORDINATES
INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE POLITICS?
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In 1972, the United Nations set up the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), to manage its environmental projects and assist developing countries in environmental-policy implementations.
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When climate change became an intensifying political issue, the UN set up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to coordinate efforts across governments.
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This includes providing scientific assessments of climate change and objective technical advice to tackle climate change (https://www.ipcc.ch/reports/).​
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