How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic: Responses to the most common skeptical arguments on global warming A Grist Special Series

‘Mars and Pluto are warming too’—No they aren’t—and what if they were? 24

(Part of the How to Talk to a Global Warming Skeptic guide)

Objection: Global warming is happening on Mars and Pluto as well. Since there are no SUVs on Mars, CO2 can't be causing global warming.

Answer: Warming on another planet would be an interesting coincidence, but it would not necessarily be driven by the same causes.

The only relevant factor the earth and Mars share is the sun, so if the warming were real and related, that would be the logical place to look. As it happens, the sun is being watched and measured carefully back here on earth, and it is not the primary cause of current climate change.

As for the alleged extraterrestrial warming, there is extremely little evidence of a global climate change on Mars. The only piece I'm aware of is a series of photographs of a single icy region in the southern hemisphere that shows melting over a six year period (about three Martian years).

Here on earth we have direct measurements from all over the globe, widespread glacial retreat, reduction of sea ice, and satellite measurements of the lower troposphere up to the stratosphere. To compare this mountain of data to a few photographs of a single region on another planet strains credulity. And in fact, the relevant scientists believe the observation described above is the result of a regional change caused by Mars' own orbital cycles, like what happened during the earth's glacial cycles.

See Global Warming on Mars? from RealClimate for much more detail about this issue.

Turning to the outer reaches of the solar system: in the icy cold and lonely Kuiper Belt was observed a difference in Pluto's atmospheric thickness, inferred from two occultation observations 14 years apart. But a cursory glance at Pluto's orbit and atmosphere reveals how ridiculous it is to draw any conclusions about climate, much less climate change, from observations spanning less than even a single season, let alone enough years to even establish the climate's normal state.

Anyone trying to draw conclusions about what is happening here on earth from all this might as well be from another planet.

Back to Mars for a quick summary:

On Earth, we have poles melting, surface temperature rising, tropospheric temperatures rising, permafrost melting, glaciers worldwide melting, CO2 concentrations increasing, borehole analysis showing warming, sea ice receding, proxy reconstructions showing warming, sea level rising, sea surface temperatures rising, energy imbalance, ice sheets melting, and stratospheric cooling, all of which leads us to believe the earth is undergoing global warming driven by an enhanced greenhouse effect.

One Mars we have one spot melting, which leads us to believe that ... one spot is melting.

Forgive me for not being reassured.

Former musician, turned tree planter, turned software engineer. Same old story…

I have been blogging about climate change since 2006 at A Few Things Ill Considered.

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  1. Yadhel Posted 6:21 am
    14 Jan 2007

    Other planets are warming up too.Well, the thing is that it is not only "Mars" and "Pluto" that are warming, but pretty much every planet, and moon with an atmosphere in the solar system is warming/undergoing climate change, and in most cases what is happening to every planet in the solar system, is worse than what is happening on Earth.
    Global Warming on Pluto.

    http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/pluto_warming_02100...
    Climate change/warming on Jupiter.

    http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2006-05-04-jup...
    Global warming on Triton. (Neptune's largest moon)

    http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/19980526052143data_trunc...
    Global warming on Enceladus. (A moon of Saturn)

    http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060419/Featu...
    Climate change on Saturn.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6135450.stm...
    and i think i am missing some other planets/moons in our solar system who are undergoing global warming/climate change.

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  2. Yadhel Posted 6:29 am
    14 Jan 2007

    One more link on global warming on TritonHere is another link about Global warming on Triton from MIT.
    http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1998/triton.html

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  3. Coby Beck's avatar

    Coby Beck Posted 10:13 am
    16 Jan 2007

    Thanks for the linksDid you read them?
    http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/pluto_warming_02100...

    'Though Pluto was closest to the Sun in 1989, a warming trend 13 years later does not surprise David Tholen, a University of Hawaii astronomer involved in the discovery.
    "It takes time for materials to warm up and cool off, which is why the hottest part of the day on Earth is usually around 2 or 3 p.m. rather than local noon," Tholen said. "This warming trend on Pluto could easily last for another 13 years."'
    http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1998/triton.html

    'T...

    'The movement of heat from the equator to Jupiter's south pole is expected to stop at 34 degrees southern latitude, where Red Spot Jr. is forming.
    This will create a big wall and stop the mixing of heat and airflow, the thinking goes. As a result, areas around the equator become warmer, while the poles can start to cool down.'
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6135450.stm

    Absolutely nothing about climate change on Saturn.



    Invent a clever saying, and your name will live forever!



    -- Anonymous

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  4. Coby Beck's avatar

    Coby Beck Posted 10:18 am
    16 Jan 2007

    forgot one...http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060419/Featu...

    Again, nothing on a climate change, only this:

    'The only explanation for these unexpected findings is that Enceladus somehow supplies its own heat, Ingersoll says. "Sunlight could not possibly produce temperatures like that in the outer solar system."'

    Invent a clever saying, and your name will live forever!



    -- Anonymous

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  5. akbeancounter Posted 6:31 am
    14 Feb 2007

    Saturn?Yeah, I have to agree, half of those articles were totally irrelevant.  Interesting, but certainly nothing that would suggest that they're experiencing climate change in the way that we are.  The articles that do mention climate change suggest that it's a shift in regional temperatures, as Coby pointed out with the Jupiter article.
    Triton:

    Elliot and his colleagues believe that Triton's warming trend could be driven by seasonal changes in the absorption of solar energy by its polar ice caps.

    There's no big surprise that planets warm and cool over time; the difference here is that Earth is experiencing climate change on a scale never before seen.
    So at best, Triton and Jupiter are relevant.  Considering that there are over 100 planets, dwarf planets, and natural satellites (moons) in our Solar System, I wouldn't consider those two to be significant evidence of System-wide warming.

    Taking accounting to the extreme since 2004.

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  6. Benny Big Eye Posted 3:18 am
    22 Feb 2007

    Or why not just make like a contrarianAnd talk out of both sides of your mouth? That works well to get Roger Pielke Jr. a constant stream of calls from reporters.



    Benny Big Eye

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  7. Delay And Deny's avatar

    Delay And Deny Posted 3:29 am
    22 Feb 2007

    How To Talk to An Anthrogenic CrackPotRight, NASA is completely wrong...and grist knows everything:
    NASA'S GLOBAL SURVEYOR SEES POSSIBLE CLIMATE CHANGE ON MARS
    The planet Mars we know today is a cold, dry, desert world, but suppose the martian climate is changing even now, year to year and decade to decade?
    NASA's Mars Exploration Program

    The Texeme Construct offers international text memetics construction and textcasting services.

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  8. bassman Posted 3:26 pm
    08 Mar 2007

    Thank you for explainingNow I understand that no amount of facts will dissuade you folks. If only you applied the same level of skepticism to "greenhouse gases" and these ridiculous climate models as you do to anything that contradicts your belief. It really doesn't matter how many articles are shown to you or how many planets show warming.

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  9. JPVanderbilt Posted 4:10 am
    21 Mar 2007

    Climate Change on SaturnCoby Beck, in the story about the hurricane on Saturn, perhaps you missed the point that there is a HURRICANE on Saturn.  Do you even understand what the word "climate" means?  Climate is commonly defined as "the weather averaged over a long period of time."  This is the first hurricane ever detected on Saturn. So, by definition, this is a major climate change. Have you ever even taken a science class?

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  10. Trakar Posted 2:53 am
    06 Apr 2007

    "First time detected" means whatCould mean that "we've looked continously and in detail for a long time and this is the first time we've ever seen this phenomenon."

    Unfortunately, in this case, it means something more along the lines of, "This is the first time we've had equipment capable of detecting this phenomenon in place upon an occassion of this phenomenon's expression."

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  11. Trakar Posted 2:58 am
    06 Apr 2007

    BTW>Do you even understand what the word "climate"

    >means?  Climate is commonly defined as "the

    >weather averaged over a long period of time."
    BTW - you do realize that 30 Saturn years would be almost 900 Earth years. By these standards it will be a long time before we are able to say much about Saturn's climate.

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  12. MarkUK Posted 3:39 am
    06 Apr 2007

    Seriously?So the people who say that we don't know enough about the climate systems on earth to make any claims that humans are responsible for global warming now think that a ridiculously small amount of measurements taken only very recently of other planets is convincing evidence of their point of view?
    Thousands of scientists and research project and publications. A few hundred years of observations and data and a bunch of satellites sending back daily info. All of that builds us a picture of climate change on earth. Yet it is nothing compared to the few data points we have elsewhere in the solar system?

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  13. wiscidea Posted 4:14 am
    06 Apr 2007

    Yeah!!! And incidentally...MarkUK, thank you for making a very important point.
    We've been studying the other planets for only a few decades. Furthermore, we do not have detailed geological records from those other planets to reconstruct the natural cycles their climates go through. The problem with our current situation is that we know it is unprecedented in human history and probably unprecedented in recent geological history. The rate of change might be entirely unprecedented.
    But one more point for the skeptics clinging to this interesting information from our studies of other planets...
    IT DOESN"T MATTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Okay... suppose every planet is getting warmer and it is actually entirely the result of the Sun growing warmer. Then it is even more important that we immediately bring a halt to putting any additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere! And every other greenhouse gas! If this is an unprecedented natural event, then it is an unprecedented natural disaster that calls for extreme measures to reverse it. All life on Earth is threatened. Your information regarding the other planets getting warmer could be grounds for instituting global-wide martial law and severe rationing of carbon-emission credits. Is that what you want done? Are you suggesting that environmentalists are underestimating the danger we are facing due to global climate change?

    Forward!

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  14. GreyFlcn Posted 4:14 am
    06 Apr 2007

    WellThis falls into the faux argument category anyways.
    The skeptics are basically saying

    "You say CO2 causes ALL global warming.  Well all I have to do is show some warming caused by something else, and I can disprove CO2 causes ANY warming!"
    The sun is actually a great explanation for warming on earth.  Most the 20th century warming was caused by increases in solar radiation.
    Catch is, increased solar radiation just can not explain the current warming.  

    Since we haven't had any significant increased solar radiation in over 6 decades.
    http://www.greyfalcon.net/solar.png

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  15. GreyFlcn Posted 11:06 am
    11 Apr 2007

    Fun stuffThey are finding out why Mars is warming.
    Massive Dust Storms

    http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q= ...

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  16. striker578 Posted 3:52 am
    09 Jul 2007

    Global WarmingThe evidence is convincing. When sunspots appear, they say, global warming ensues. When the sunspots are absent, the sun cools; and occasionally, mini ice ages occur.
    Sunspots are the visible results of solar eruptions. When the sun undergoes severe magnetic activity, it flings billions of tons of gases into space. The sun's turmoil over thousands of years can be judged from isotopes locked into Earth's ice cores and tree rings. From these, scientists can determine when the sun's magnetic and flare activity has changed from vigorous commotion to a relative calm.
    Solar scientists, including astronomers and atmospheric physicists, have concluded that extended solar activity has unquestionably contributed to, and is possibly the only cause for, global warming and cooling throughout history.  

    The Earth has warmed and cooled millions of times since its creation, even before the first human arrived on this planet.

    Although asteroids were the final straw in two of Earth's five mass extinctions, climate change was the only cause of three mass extinctions. As for the other two: The two asteroid impacts that ended the Cretaceous and Triassic-Permian eras only finished off what climate change had begun.

    The Earth during humankinds' pre-industrial time also experienced warming and cooling eras.

    Astronomers at Harvard University had concluded a couple of years ago that the sun's warming over the past 300 years might be the cause of the current global warming.

    The last warming era ended in 1420 A.D., followed by the Little Ice Age that lasted until the mid-1800s.
    Astronomers have long noticed that the ice caps at the poles of the planet Mars have been receding during the same recent time that Earth has been warming. No other logical reason can be offered other than solar warming. Environmentalists prefer to ignore this fact and blame manufacturing and vehicles as the causes for their "man-made greenhouse gas" theory, the reason claimed for the current global warming phenomenon

    Common sense won't prevail. Headline hunters and fantasists will always be among us. To uphold their arguments, some scientists can always be bought off. Almost as many ethically challenged scientists abound as medical doctors who accept generous payments to offer questionable opinions for trial lawyers to befuddle juries.

    Bad News for the Environmental Liberation Front
    Exhaustive studies from Duke University debunk the environmentalists' claims that human activities are responsible for global warming. Furthermore, say other scientists, the temperatures to which we're accustomed will return about the first of the next century.
    According to two Duke University physicists, Earth's warming for the past two decades are due to solar output.
    Many scientists who have taken the opposite view are now concerned about their professional reputations. Many scientists have placed the blame on human cars, industrial activity and other human-causing factors.
    Solar surface activity has been particularly active for decades.
    We have said this before but we'll repeat it here. SUV's aren't causing global warming. Regions of the earth have increased in average temperatures while other areas have cooled slightly or stayed the same. This isn't to deny that much of Earth is in at least a temporary warming trend. Unusual solar activity is the cause, and the warming isn't just on Earth.
    Studies now conclude that the polar ice caps on Mars are melting and seismic activity is  taking place on Earth's nearest neighbor. The Martian atmosphere is becoming denser. Michael A. Caplinger, a scientist with Malin Space Science Systems reports that over time these changes could turn Mars into a shirtsleeve environment. The ice "is eroding away at a rapid pace and is going to continue to do that. This is not a seasonal change."
    Gullies that didn't exist just three years ago have been photographed by the 8-year-old Mars Global Surveyor.
    Astronomers have noted unusual solar activity for some time. An increase of just 0.2% in the solar output could have the same affect as doubling the carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere.
    New research on the sun's contribution to global warming is reported in Astronomy & Geophysics. By looking at solar activity over the last 11,000 years, British Antarctic Survey (BAS) astrophysicist, Mark Clilverd, predicts that the sun's contribution to warming the Earth will reduce slightly over the next 100 years.
    During the 20th Century just ended, solar flares, sunspots and geomagnetic storms increased in number. The Earth's temperature increased by a global average of 0.7 degrees centigrade.
    He says, "This work is speculative and relies on the idea that the sun shows regular cycles of activity on timescales of 10 - 10,000 years and that its heat output and activity are related. But we believe the work is well grounded and the effect of solar activity on Earth's environmental system will not increase in the way it has during the last century. We should take this into account when trying to understand the impact of human activity on our climate system."
     Solar activity may reduce in 2100 but Clilverd predicts it will return to its current levels by 2200.
     A safe bet: Martians didn't drive SUVs and had no environmental movement.
    We have previously reported scientific evidence of many cities throughout the U.S. and many parts of the world have experienced no increase in average temperature over the past 100 years and the temperature on many parts of our globe have actually fallen slightly.

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  17. striker578 Posted 9:00 am
    12 Jul 2007

    Mars and Pluto are warming tooWe must all admit that we here on earth DO NOT KNOW enough about our earth to predict what goes on in the enviroment. What we do know is that science shows that when CO goes up the earth cools and when CO goes down then the earth warms up. We all have to understand that plants use CO and emit O2 which then in turn animals use and emit CO.Evidence shows the the atmosphere is aproxomately .02% CO in the 1950's and has risen by .005% in the 2002. There is no evidence that shows the cars or people contribute to warming if anything it's the MASSIVE loss of the rain forest that caused the .005% loss, The global warming issue is a HUGH political endevor that has billions of dollars invested in it. Come on people if there was no money invested it would have died long ago. Government are making hugh money on this issue like the up comming CARBON TAX which is in reality a tax on breathing and policy to control how many people live and how many don't live. Look up "The Great Global Warming Swindle" and "Carbon Tax" on the web. In "The Great Global Warming Swindle" several Top Scientist rebuke the issue and state that the want to have their names removed from the official reports because they were added by fraud by saying that they contributed to the work when they did not work on the project. Watch the UK video titled "The Great Global Warming Swindle" yourself and get informed. Don't be fooled.

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  18. GreyFlcn Posted 11:18 am
    12 Jul 2007

    Like SaidMassive Dust Storms on Mars

    http://greyfalcon.net/mars
    The storms are so indense that they have practically decapacitated the Mars Rover.

    http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/08/14162 ...

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  19. barry schwarz Posted 4:58 pm
    15 Jun 2008

    Uranus coolingApparently Uranus is cooling.
    http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~layoung/eprint/ur149/Young20 ...
    Uranus may be undergoing internal processes that cause it to warm? Fine - but why hold that for Uranus and not other planets and moons?
    Too little information? Fine - why not ascribe that to the other planets and moons?
    Too much uncertainty? Same story.
    If you're loath to abandon this meme, then at least acknowledge that the science on it is far less studied and certain than AGW theory, with data far less comprehensive than Earth climate science.

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  20. barry schwarz Posted 5:00 pm
    15 Jun 2008

    oops"Uranus may be undergoing internal processes that cause it to warm?"
    Should have been "causing it to cool".

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  21. GlobalWarmingInc Posted 3:56 am
    13 Aug 2008

    Global Warming is the new religion...And all these sheep need something to glom onto and belong to... hence, Global WarmingTM.
    These diversions of the truth and automatic discounting of REAL scientific data by Grist members infuriates me. I love how many of you look at a picture and think you're some expert, knowing more than NASA.
    We, as a society, really are getting dumber and dumber.  How else can a politician, who claimed he invented the internet, create the CO2 Global WarmingTM scare and this time have everybody believing him? I won't listen to a hypocrite like him, who's carbon footprint (more BS) is 20x that of a normal person. As soon as you bring that up, he's automatically forgiven because he buys carbon credits (more BS). When in actuality, he's just pouring money into his own company(s).
    Think for yourselves. Make up your own mind.

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  22. GlobalWarmingInc Posted 8:45 am
    15 Aug 2008

    Oh my!!!Take a chill pill or a bong hit or something. Relax, things will be fine. If it's entirely the sun, causing Global WarmingTM then what's to worry about? We can't do diddly squat about it, so just relax. And a poorly-thought-out, knee-jerk reaction (like reversing all CO2 output [yeah right!]) may only make it worse.
    Besides CO2 benefits life on earth -it stimulates plant life, which in turn, creates more O2. Wow, what a concept.

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  23. SimplyaMommy Posted 2:37 am
    02 Sep 2008

    Why can't we All just get along?Ive read alot here from some very educated intellects who can back up their point of view, wow!!! Impressive! However, whatever college you went to, they should of given you a course on common sense. Then the solution would be obvious. It is really very simple..We are Not and will never be in a 100% agreement as to the cause of Global Warming. And to waste time is to waste money and lives. So the logicalthing to do is to look at what we  do know...it's happening. So, due to our actions or not, it's time to solve the problem or atleast try to. If it isn't caused by us, then there isn't a whole lot we can do to stop it anyway. But we can try our best! So we need to slow the process as fast as we can..that's the only objective that matters for now! Not who or what did it as important as focusing our energy on preventing further deterioration, and implementing a plan to prevent and slow the process. We are so materially spoiled and used to being able to just go out and buy a new one with everything. We can't, we only have one. We should be doing all we can to respect it and keep it healthy! End of discussion! FACT: Pollution etc. is unhealthy! Free radicals cause cancer, so if nothing else, you'd be taking better care of yourself and children by living healthier and taking care of our planet. We all know that each living being's survival on this planet is dependent on its sources and together as a whole we are dependent on the trees as they are on us etc. We are all connected together as a system. Like an engine without oil, pistons or radiator fluid,won't run. Like it or not, we are dependent and need these other sources of life to survive. Something as simple as bugs, like bees, if they are not doing their job, would could cause us alot of trouble in our crops etc.. We depend on the trees and they depend on us, the plankton depends on the sunlight for photosynthesis for the other sea life etc. When one area is out of sync then it we all become affected, like a domino effect. So For Go*'s Sake, use common sense!If this is just a scare, then at the very least we would be a healthier planet! When you eat fish or feed vegtables to your child, don't you want the best for them? Would you feed your child a fish from your toilet? If you bought a new beautiful house or car, would you destroy it right away or try and take care of it so it lasts? Are we so narscisstic that we don't care what happens to our children's children? Try going snorkeling locally, just see what we have done to our sea, see what we do to our planet! It's disgusting. We need to respect it! Love it and nurture it like a baby! The surface of our sea is covered, everywhere with our garbage. The marine life's earth.It is their territory, their safe haven,and they can't have a war to claim it. Everyone complains about terrorists when we are the terrorists to the sea life who can't even defend their country!  It's time to stop denying the mess we made! Bring back the purity our Earth was born with.. whether it's destroying our entire existance or not, it is destroying  lives! Play time is over, clean up the mess you made, we all made! Take responsiblity and stop whining like children and just solve the problem! Stop blaming and start moving! There is no time to waste!We need to look at Earth as a place that we borrowed from friends, parents or in laws. When you return something you were trusted in borrowing, are you going to return it a mess or destroyed? Earth isn't ours. It is a loan, it's not ours..it's everyone who preceeds us!Treat it as such. When they say wrinkles are caused mostly by sun damage and others argue that stress is what causes aging. You try and do the logical thing, right? Right??? Stay out of the sun or use protection and try to live stress free. It doesn't matter who is right, they both are logical easons of aging. The bottom line is you want to look and stay young so you try to avoid both negative causes.Duhh..The same logic is here folks!! It shouldn't take a bunch of rocket scientists to figure out the obvious! Just a little common sense...a penny saved is a penny earned.What would be the harm in making our vehicles run without polluting our air and lungs? Cost? How much does it cost to save a life from Cancer, how much would you pay to bring back someone you loved very dearly, a friend, a spouse, a child or even a pet? How much would you pay to live one more day? To have one more day wtth a loved one that passed away? What if they didn't pollute their bodies and you were able to see them 10 moe years? Our bodies are designed to live to 120 years old, so why are most of us dying at around 75?Pollution causes us to breathe in free radicals that destroy our healthy cells, when our healthy cells can't be strong enough to fight them off die, so save the earth and save our lives too!        

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  24. inuspike Posted 5:17 am
    30 Sep 2008

    Sorry if this was coveredI'm new to this site (Love it, thank you SO much)
    To the skeptics..if PLUTO heating is due to the sun, let alone any gas giant...earth would burst into flame..they're easily what a dozen? maybe two AUs further than we are from the sun...come on now.

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Series Intro
'There is no evidence' -- Yes, there is 59
'Mauna Loa is a volcano' -- CO2 rise is measured on top of a volcano! 8
'Warming is due to the Urban Heat Island effect' -- No, it isn't 25
'One hundred years is not enough'--Yes it is 18
'The scientists aren't even sure' -- No scientist ever is 33
'One record year is not global warming'--Luckily, there are plenty more years to consider 19
'Glaciers have always grown and receded'--A few glaciers melting does not mean global warming 14
'The temperature record is unreliable'--But temperature trends are clear and widely corroborated 8
'It's cold today in Wagga Wagga'--Weather and climate are different 2
'The satellites show cooling'--No, they don't 15
'What about mid-century cooling?'--No one said CO2 is the only climate influence 11
'Antarctic ice is growing'--Well, probably not, but even if it were, we are not off the hook 8
'Global warming stopped in 1998'--Only if you flagrantly cherry pick 170
'But the glaciers are not melting'--Except ... they are! 3
'Antarctic sea ice is increasing'--Yes, but ... 14
'Sea level in the Arctic is falling'--Sea level is a surprisingly complicated thing 11
'Climate sensitivity is not very high'--Thermal inertia of the oceans means the jury is still out 2
'Some sites show cooling'--But you can't draw global conclusions from individual sites 0
'Global warming is a hoax'--I wish James Inhofe were just a hoax ... 12
'There is no consensus'--If this is not consensus, what would consensus look like? 109
'Position statements hide debate'--True enough, but that is not the whole picture 5
'Consensus is collusion'--Is climate science maturing, or should we reach for our tinfoil hats? 8
'Peiser refuted Oreskes'--In a poor piece of work that has been retracted by its author 4
'Models don't account for clouds'--Clouds are complex and uncertain, but unlikely to stop warming 6
'Climate models are unproven'--Actually, GCM's have many confirmed successes under their belts 13
'Aerosols should mean more warming in the south'--More North. Hemisphere warming is well-understood 1
'We can't even predict the weather next week'--But weather is not climate 11
'Chaotic systems are not predictable'--Sure, but who says climate is chaotic? 13
Understanding what is happening right under our noses does not require paleoclimate perfection 1
'They predicted global cooling in the 70s'--But that didn't even remotely resemble today's consensus 29
'Hansen has been wrong before'--Maybe, but not about the climate! 13
'It was warmer during the Holocene Climatic Optimum'--This period was not global and not like today 4
'The Medieval Warm Period was just as warm as today'--Repeating this point does not make it true 216
'Greenland used to be green'--Don't judge a book by its cover, much less a land by its name 23
Yes, the last ice age started thawing over 20,000 years ago, but that stopped a long time ago 5
'The hockey stick is broken'--Well, no ... but who's playing hockey anyway? 6
'Vineland was full of grapes'--Or was it an early advertising campaign? 4
'Global warming is part of a natural cycle'--This idea is one short step above appealing to magic 39
'Mars and Pluto are warming too'--No they aren't -- and what if they were? 24
'Volcanoes emit more CO2 than humans'--Not even close ... 31
'The null hypothesis says warming is natural'--An inappropriate test, and one that would fail anyway 4
'Climate is always changing'--That doesn't mean it isn't different today 5
'Natural emissions dwarf human emissions'--But emissions are only one side of the equation 5
'The CO2 rise is natural'--No skeptical argument has been more definitively disproven 12
'We are just recovering from the LIA'--Why should we expect this to happen? 4
'Climate scientists dodge the subject of water vapor'--No, they really don't 4
Water vapor is indeed a powerful greenhouse gas, but there is plenty of room for CO2 to play a role 29
There is no proof in science, but there are mountains of evidence 78
'CO2 doesn't lead, it lags'--Turns out CO2 rise is both a cause and an effect of warming 43
'Geological history does not support CO2's importance'--Just not true 0
'Historically, CO2 never caused temperature change'--Not so 19
'It's the sun, stupid'--Very bright, yes, but not getting brighter 18
The problem is not how high the temperature may go, but how fast it is changing 14
'Kyoto is a big effort for almost nothing'--Kyoto is only in its first phase 16
China and India have joined Kyoto, they just have different obligations, as is morally appropriate 3
'Climate change mitigation would lead to disaster'--Not really, but this may be lesser of two evils 6
Only if you ignore fossil fuel emissions 10
In 2008, did temperatures drop as much as they rose over the whole 20th century? 71
Is the IPCC so wrong their theories contradict a basic laws of physics? 23
Is the American Physical Society a crack in the climate change consensus? 3
Summer ice in the Arctic has recovered--Was the Arctic ice retreat a climate anomaly? 7
'Global warming comes from within'--Is heat at the Earth's core the real cause of global warming? 10
Was there another breathless announcement of another phony record, and another quiet retraction? 1
Hansen wants the skeptics thrown in jail--Did James Hansen really want to try the climate skeptics? 6
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