Global Warming/Global Warming Denial Rebuttal Paper custom essay

Assignment 1 Outline – Global Warming Denial Rebuttal Paper
In this assignment, you are tasked with critically evaluating a global warming denial claim and
responding with a short rebuttal paper.
There are three excerpts below, each of which argues against global warming. These excerpts
are adapted from actual blogs, news articles, or political speeches. Select one of these excerpts
for evaluation and response. Your response should be written as a cohesive paper,
incorporating concepts from the course as well as some of your own research into the topic. You
should develop counter arguments and show how they are supported by evidence (i.e. not just
your opinion). Your explanation should demonstrate your understanding of the scientific
evidence for global warming.
Your rebuttal paper should be concise, maximum 500 words not including references. Please
use full paragraphs. You might want to use subheadings, though they are not required. You
should use appropriate sources for your evidence, such as IPCC reports or journal articles. You
may use any reference style, but make sure that you use it consistently throughout the paper
and references list. A minimum of two sources is required, although a strong paper will likely use
more (appropriately selected) sources.
Papers will be graded on your ability to evaluate the claims made in the denial excerpt (assess
accuracy of claims and data), respond to claims made in the excerpts (using relevant counter
arguments and supporting evidence) and your writing style (spelling, grammar etc.).
Reminder also that the University of Toronto has a useful website for general advice on writing,
including information on what is plagiarism. See: http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/usingsources/how-not-to-plagiarize.
The assignment is due in hard-copy at the beginning of class on July 12th, 2016.
Option #1: Denial in US politics
“While some Democrats may be convinced global warming is continuing to occur, the scientific
record does not agree. In fact, for the past 15 years temperatures across the globe have not
increased. Let’s think about that. Is anyone listening here? Temperatures have not increased
over the last 15 years. This isn’t just—a major magazine had an article on it, ‘‘The Economist’’
did, and even the scientists at the IPCC…Even the IPCC says we have had no warming for the
last 15 years.” Senator Jim Inhofe, 2014
AND
“In case we have forgotten, because we keep hearing that 2014 has been the warmest year on
record, I ask the chair, do you know what this is? It’s a snowball. And it’s just from outside here.
So it’s very, very cold out. Very unseasonable. So, Mr. President, catch this. We hear the
perpetual headline that 2014 has been the warmest year on record, but now the script has
flipped. This is something that has been happening over a long period of time … and every time
it does, everyone tries to say that the world’s coming to an end and somehow man is important
and so powerful that he can change that.” Senator Jim Inhofe, 2015
Points to consider in your rebuttal:
• Consider the long-term trend in temperatures
• What aspects of the climate system can explain a lower rate of warming than we might
otherwise expect?
• How does the selection of a starting year and ending year impact any claims about
short-term trends?
• What is the difference between weather in a particular place and global warming?
Option #2: It’s part of a natural cycle
“Despite no global warming in 10 years and recording setting cold in 2007-2008, the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climatic Change (IPCC) and computer modelers who believe that
CO2 is the cause of global warming still predict the Earth is in store for catastrophic warming in
this century. All of this is predicated on the assumption that global warming is caused by
increasing atmospheric CO2 and that CO2 will continue to rise rapidly…
However, records of past climate changes suggest an altogether different scenario for the 21st
century. Rather than drastic global warming at a rate of 0.5 ° C (1° F) per decade, climatic
fluctuations over the past several hundred years suggest ~30 year climatic cycles of global
warming and cooling, on a general rising trend from the Little Ice Age…
Global climate changes have been far more intense (12 to 20 times as intense in some cases)
than the global warming of the past century, and they took place in as little as 20–100 years.
Global warming of the past century (0.8° C) is virtually insignificant when compared to the
magnitude of at least 10 global climate changes in the past 15,000 years. None of these sudden
global climate changes could possibly have been caused by human CO2 input to the
atmosphere because they all took place long before anthropogenic CO2 emissions began. The
cause of the ten earlier ‘natural’ climate changes was most likely the same as the cause of
global warming from 1977 to 1998… The minute increase of anthropogenic CO2 in the
atmosphere (0.008%) was not the cause of the warming—it was a continuation of natural cycles
that occurred over the past 500 years.” (Don Easterbrook, “Global Cooling is Here”)
Points to consider in your rebuttal:
• The fact that global warming is caused by increasing atmospheric CO2 is not an
assumption – why?
• What can we learn by studying past climates? How does that compare to the ways that
past climates are being used in this claim?
• Climate changes have happened in the past, but what is different about current global
warming?
Option #3 – It’s the Sun
“Evidence is accruing that changes in Earth’s surface temperature are largely driven by
variations in solar activity. Examples of solar controlled climate change epochs include the
Medieval Warm Period, Little Ice Age and Early Twentieth Century (1910–1940) Warm Period.
In fact, the Sun may have contributed as much as 66% of the observed twentieth century
warming, and perhaps more.
The respective importance of the Sun and CO2 in forcing Earth climate remains unresolved;
current climate models fail to account for a plethora of known Sun-climate connections. Strong
empirical correlations have been reported from all around the world between solar variability and
climate indices including temperature, precipitation, droughts, floods, streamflow, and
monsoons. The recently quiet Sun and extrapolation of solar cycle patterns into the future
suggest a planetary cooling may occur over the next few decades.” (The Heartland Institute)
Points to consider in your rebuttal:
• Explain what we know about the sun when it comes to the climate system
• What does the scientific evidence say about the causes of observed warming in the
twentieth century?
• What is the connection between temperature, CO2 and recent empirical observations of
trends in precipitation, droughts, floods etc.?
• Scientists have developed extensive models and scenarios about what to expect in the
next few decades, but no credible ones suggest planetary cooling.

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