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"One of the most common misunderstandings amongst climate change "skeptics" is the difference between short-term noise and long-term signal.  This animation shows how the same temperature data (green) that is used to determine the long-term global surface air warming trend of 0.16°C per decade (red) can be used inappropriately to "cherrypick" short time periods that show a cooling trend simply because the endpoints are carefully chosen and the trend is dominated by short-term noise in the data (blue steps).  Isn't it strange how five periods of cooling can add up to a clear warming trend over the last 4 decades?  Several factors can have a large impact on short-term temperatures, such as oceanic cycles like the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) or the 11-year solar cycle.  These short-term cycles don't have long-term effects on the Earth's temperature, unlike the continuing upward trend caused by global warming from human greenhouse gas emissions."

"To some, the existence and consequences of global warming and climate change seems obvious while to others, the eco-friendly movement appears to be a mass-hysteria response to sensationalized hype. Where do you stand on this great debate? Here is a complete guide to both sides of the global warming issue. Read on to see which point of view makes more sense to you."

Here is a summary of global warming and climate change myths, sorted by recent popularity vs what science says. Click the response for a more detailed response. You can also view them sorted by taxonomy, by popularity, in a print-friendly version, with short URLs or with fixed numbers you can use for permanent references.

"The fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report is due out on September 27th, and is expected to reaffirm with growing confidence that humans are driving global warming and climate change. In anticipation of the widespread news coverage of this esteemed report, climate contrarians appear to be in damage control mode, trying to build up skeptical spin in media climate stories." See also http://www.news.com.au/national-news/global-warming-forecasts-wrong-says-un-report/story-fncynjr2-1226720435324

"What's happening in Australia is vastly different than what's happened in the United States. Sure, we've had climate skeptics, contrarians, and deniers in positions of power or in control of parties. Or news networks. But here in the United States, climate change has never taken center stage in national politics. During last year's Presidential campaign, it scarcely escaped the lips of either Obama or Romney, and the campaign press corps did little to end the silence."