A Few Things Ill Considered

Here is a list of "enviro-Nazis" and "left-wing loonies" who believe that Anthropogenic Global Warming is real and well supported by sound science:

• NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) - http://www.giss.nasa.gov/edu/gwdebate/
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg1/index.htm
• National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - http://books.nap.edu/collections/global_warming/index.html
• State of the Canadian Cryosphere (SOCC) - http://www.socc.ca/permafrost/permafrost_future_e.cfm
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - http://epa.gov/climatechange/index.html
• The Royal Society of the UK (RS) - http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?id=3135
• American Geophysical Union (AGU) - http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/policy/climate_change_position.html
• American Meteorological Society (AMS) - http://www.ametsoc.org/policy/climatechangeresearch_2003.html
• American Institute of Physics (AIP) - http://www.aip.org/gov/policy12.html
• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) - http://eo.ucar.edu/basics/cc_1.html
• American Meteorological Society (AMS) - http://www.ametsoc.org/policy/jointacademies.html
• Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) - http://www.cmos.ca/climatechangepole.html

Every major scientific institution dealing with climate, ocean, and/or atmosphere agrees that the climate is warming rapidly and the primary cause is human CO2 emissions. On top of that list, see also this joint statement [PDF] that specifically and unequivocally endorses the work and conclusions of the IPCC Third Assessment report, a statement issued by

• Academia Brasiliera de Ciencias (Bazil)
• Royal Society of Canada
• Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Academie des Sciences (France)
• Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina (Germany)
• Indian National Science Academy
• Accademia dei Lincei (Italy)
• Science Council of Japan
• Russian Academy of Sciences
• Royal Society (United Kingdom)
• National Academy of Sciences (United States of America)

You can also read this one that includes all of the above signatories plus the following:

• Australian Academy of Sciences
• Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and the Arts
• Caribbean Academy of Sciences
• Indonesian Academy of Sciences
• Royal Irish Academy
• Academy of Sciences Malaysia
• Academy Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand
• Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

But if scientists are too liberal and politicians too unreliable, perhaps you would find the opinion of some of the bastions of industry more convincing?

• Exxon-Mobile, the largest oil company in the world has this public statement:

  The risks to society and ecosystems from increases in CO2 emissions could prove to be significant, so it is prudent to develop and implement strategies that address the risks, keeping in mind the central importance of energy to the economies of the world.

• Chevron, a bit less non-commital, says:

  At Chevron, we recognize and share the concerns of governments and the public about climate change. The use of fossil fuels to meet the world's energy needs is a contributor to an increase in greenhouse gases (GHGs) -- mainly carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane -- in the earth's atmosphere. There is a widespread view that this increase is leading to climate change, with adverse effects on the environment.

• 18 CEO's of Canada's largest corporations had this to say in an open letter to the Prime Minister of Canada:

  Our organizations accept that a strong response is required to the strengthening evidence in the scientific assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). We accept the IPCC consensus that climate change raises the risk of severe consequences for human health and security and the environment. We note that Canada is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Have the EnviroNazis finally seized the industrial reigns of power on top of infiltrating the UN, the science academies of the major nations and the top research institutes of North America? Somehow, I think that is just not too likely.

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This is just one of dozens of responses to common climate change denial arguments, which can all be found at How to Talk to a Climate Sceptic.

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"Global Warming is Just a Hoax" was first published here, where you can still find the original comment thread. This updated version is also posted on the Grist website, where additional comments can be found, though the author, Coby Beck, does not monitor or respond there.