Let's skip all the bloggers and 'common people on the street' and polls and focus groups and all the other garbage sources of 'information' out there. Let's go right to the top - to organizations that do not have a political agenda but instead serve the communication and training needs of the entire profession. These groups have very high expertise in the field, have training and practice recognizing bias, have little to no influence from external politics, and have long-running reputations to protect. Statements from the organization are peer-reviewed and have broad consensus from the member body.
National Academy of Sciences
Founded in 1863
10% of members are Nobel Prize winners.
Recognized as representing the best science has to offer.
http://www.nationalacademies.org/includes/G8+5energy-climate09.pdf
The IPCC 2007 Fourth Assessment of climate change science concluded that large reductions in the emissions of greenhouse gases, principally CO2, are needed soon to slow the increase of atmospheric concentrations, and avoid reaching unacceptable levels.
However, climate change is happening even faster than previously estimated; global CO2 emissions since 2000 have been higher than even the highest predictions, Arctic sea ice has been melting at rates much faster than predicted, and the rise in the sea level has become more rapid. Feedbacks in the climate system might lead to much more rapid climate changes.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science
Largest scientific society in the world
144,000 members
Founded in 1848
Has published the highly-respected journal SCIENCE since 1880
2006 official position statement on climate change:
http://www.aaas.org/news/press_room/climate_change/mtg_200702/aaas_climate_statement.pdf
The scientific evidence is clear: global climate change caused by human activities is occurring now, and it is a growing threat to society. Accumulating data from across the globe reveal a wide array of effects: rapidly melting glaciers, destabilization of major ice sheets, increases in extreme weather, rising sea level, shifts in species ranges, and more. The pace of change and the evidence of harm have increased markedly over the last five years. The time to control greenhouse gas emissions is now.
From 20 May 2010 address to Congress:
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ocga/testimony/Climate_Science_in_the_Political_Arena.asp
The panel report on Advancing the Science of Climate Change reviews the scientific evidence for climate change in more detail than I did today and it examines the status of the nation’s current scientific research efforts. The report says “A strong, credible body of scientific evidence shows that climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems.
In addition, we have statements from a number of other organizations - not as large, not as significant as the AAAS and NAS necessarily, yet significant in the makeup of their membership - like oil companies, energy companies, and the military. This message is echoed by CEOs of oil companies, the US Intelligence Community, the Pentagon, Center for Naval Analysis, and other organizations - including the US Climate Action Partnership (USCAP).
http://www.us-cap.org/
The USCAP includes members from:
AES
Alcoa
Alstom
Boston Scientific Corporation
Chrysler
The Dow Chemical Company
Duke Energy
DuPont
Environmental Defense Fund
Exelon Corporation
Ford Motor Company
General Electric
Honeywell
Johnson & Johnson
Natural Resources Defense Council
NextEra Energy
NRG Energy
PepsiCo
Pew Center on Global Climate Change
PG&E Corporation
PNM Resources
Rio Tinto
Shell
Siemens Corporation
The Nature Conservancy
Weyerhaeuser
World Resources Institute
They state, in their Call for Action (
http://us-cap.org/USCAPCallForAction.pdf):
We Know Enough to Act on Climate Change
In June 2005, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences joined with the scientific academies of ten other countries in stating that “the scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt actions.”
Each year we delay action to control emissions increases the risk of unavoidable consequences that could necessitate even steeper reductions in the future, at potentially greater economic cost and social disruption. Action sooner rather than later preserves valuable response options, narrows the uncertainties associated with changes to the climate, and should lower the costs of mitigation and adaptation.
For these reasons, we, the members of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) have joined together to recommend the prompt enactment of national legislation in the United States to slow, stop and reverse the growth of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the shortest period of time reasonably achievable.
The "Hansen paper" from 2008 is easily available and easy to digest.
http://arxiv.org/pdf/0804.1126v3
Paleoclimate data show that climate sensitivity is ~3 deg-C for doubled CO2, including only fast feedback processes. Equilibrium sensitivity, including slower surface albedo feedbacks, is ~6 deg-C for doubled CO2 for the range of climate states between glacial conditions and ice-free Antarctica. Decreasing CO2 was the main cause of a cooling trend that began 50 million years ago, large scale glaciation occurring when CO2 fell to 450 +/- 100 ppm, a level that will be exceeded within decades, barring prompt policy changes. If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm. The largest uncertainty in the target arises from possible changes of non-CO2 forcings. An initial 350 ppm CO2 target may be achievable by phasing out coal use except where CO2 is captured and adopting agricultural and forestry practices that sequester carbon. If the present overshoot of this target CO2 is not brief, there is a possibility of seeding irreversible catastrophic effects.
[This paper ignores methane emissions as they were fairly well under control when the research was being conducted. The shale gas boom has, in my opinion, turned that around - and it makes Hansen et al.'s position even more conservative than it already is.]
These are facts from the top. There are ZERO bodies of this stature in the 'denier' or 'skeptic' camp.
It's long past time to stop debating and start acting - unless we have a lead on a new planet to move to when we finish this one off.
A number of months back I read a statement that suggested that climate change deniers should be tried for crimes against humanity. At the time this suggestion bothered me a great deal. The more I learn the more I agree with the sentiment.
There are some here that are in the denier camp - and that's OK and I fully support their right to speak their conscience (notice that word has 'science' in it? Cool huh?). But I strongly recommend they not get in the way of those working to keep us well clear of a climate tipping point. Or at least wear a helmet and cup when they do...
