Top Ten Good Skeptical Argument

The causes of climate change are known and proven because of the results of extensive scientific evidence and research. Climate scientist Dana Nuccitelli states “most of the global warming since 1950 is human-caused.” It is not acceptable to hypothesize about the realness of climate change when the causes for it have been proven. Skeptics of climate change have developed arguments opposing the true causes of climate change which can all be disputed by scientific evidence. Climate change is human caused and can be supported by the definition of climate change, scientific evidence, human interaction, and decreasing fish markets.

Climate change is defined as “a long-term change in the earth's climate, especially a change due to an increase in

Climate scientist Roy Spencer is one of the few scientists whose research supports the idea that humans play only a minimal role in global warming. Spencer is often interviewed by the media to give an opposing view, representing the skeptics. Many of the arguments formed by skeptics can be found in Spencer’s “Top Ten Good Skeptical Arguments.” Dana Nuccitelli, climate scientist and writer, answers each of these arguments to show how misinformed people are when it comes to climate change. The first skeptical argument made by Spencer is “If global warming science is so "settled", why did global warming stop 15 years ago, contrary to all "consensus" predictions?” To address this, Nuccitelli explains that he likely measured global warming based on surface temperatures which account for 2% of earth’s warming, and have still warmed by 0.2 degrees over the 15 year time period Spencer gives. (Nuccitelli) “More importantly, the planet has continued to accumulate heat at a rate equivalent to 4 Hiroshima atomic bomb detonations per second over the past 15 years.” (Nuccitelli) According to the definition of climate change, this change in temperature over a long period of time qualifies as climate change. Spencer also addresses what is perhaps the most controversial issue related to climate change. Man Made or natural? Nuccitelli cites the IPCC, Intergovernmental Panel

The effects of climate change can already be seen by fish populations. The temperature of the water fish live in affects their growth and reproduction. Many fish are only able to live in water of a specific temperature, however this has not yet come into effect. What has been noticed is the declining populations of fish. Fish are only able to reproduce in certain water temperatures and temperature can also change the sex of fish. (Australian Government) These factors are leading to an increasing decline in global fish markets. Another factor of climate change affecting fish markets is the rising sea level. Rising sea levels around the Great Barrier Reef are causing grass beds to grow less, which many juvenile fish rely on for food. (Australian Government) It is becoming clear that the problems fish populations are experiencing are our own problems as well. Some factors of climate change affecting humans are heat waves, droughts, floods, and hurricanes. (Globalchange.gov) It goes without saying that droughts and hurricanes are not good things for people. With the rate that the earth is warming, these disasters will only become more extreme and frequent. Yes it is easy to deny the severity of climate change when it isn’t affecting you personally, but this will be a major concern for the years to