The 12 days of climate change myths: #7, Global cooling – Is global warming still happening?

With thanks for the contributions from Skeptical Science, Blue & Green Tomorrow debunks a different climate change myth each day over the Christmas period.

In this chapter, we look at the cynics who believe global warming has either stopped or is slowing down.

The sceptic argument…

“Global warming has stopped and a cooling is beginning. No climate model has predicted a cooling of the Earth – quite the contrary. And this means that the projections of future climate are unreliable.”

(Henrik Svensmark).  

What the science says…

When looking for evidence of global warming, there are many different indicators that we should look for. Whilst it’s natural to start with air temperatures, a more thorough examination should be as inclusive as possible; snow cover, ice melt, air temperatures over land and sea, even the sea temperatures themselves. A 2010 study included 10 key indicators, and as shown below, every one of them is moving in the direction expected of a warming globe.

The question of global warming stopping is often raised in the light of a recent weather event – a big snowfall or drought breaking rain. Global warming is entirely compatible with these events; after all they are just weather. For climate change, it is the long term trends that are important; measured over decades or more, and those long term trends show that the globe is still, unfortunately, warming.

Many thanks to Skeptical Science for allowing us to republish their work. To view the original article, click here.