Whenever I write about climate change, I get a pile of commenters from the noise machine side of things doing what they do best: making noise. They are loaded with nonsense, misleading data, political spin, and sometimes out-and-out falsehoods about climate change. So I'll be clear: climate change is real. The average temperature of the Earth is increasing. This is almost certainly due to mankind's influence on the environment. No doubt you've heard the puerile political propaganda from the denialists. To counter that -- or at least, to make the point to people who might be confused on the issue -- send them to NASA's Climate Change evidence page. It's basically one-stop shopping for clear, concise evidence that the Earth is warming up. Evidence like this:
... which comes with references that show this connection is causal -- one causes the other. And statements like this:
All three major global surface temperature reconstructions show that Earth has warmed since 1880. Most of this warming has occurred since the 1970s, with the 20 warmest years having occurred since 1981 and with all 10 of the warmest years occurring in the past 12 years. Even though the 2000s witnessed a solar output decline resulting in an unusually deep solar minimum in 2007-2009, surface temperatures continue to increase.
[That quote comes with referenced footnotes which I removed for clarity.] That page, together with an NOAA report clinching the fact that global warming is real and happening right now, should be linked to again and again by everyone defending reality from those who oppose it. The noise makers want to confuse you, because that's how they sow doubt. But the reality, while not precisely simple, is there for all to see who want to actually see it. Go look at those links and see what's really what.
Related posts: - New study clinched it: the Earth is warming up - The cloudy, warming Earth - Union of Concerned Scientists launches global warming ad campaign - Sea ice, coming and going
