Climate Change: Addressing the Major Skeptic Arguments
In an attempt to rebalancethe debate on global warming, the German research branch of
Deutsche Bank has commissioned a report that refutes the claims of
climate sceptics.
The report, authored by researchers at the Columbia University’s
Earth Institute, defuses “misconceptions” that can hinder
investment in the green economy, which can help tackle climate
change.
The report lists twelve oft-made arguments against climate
change, such as global average temperatures are not rising, climate
researchers are engaged in a conspiracy and water vapour is the
most prevalent greenhouse gas. They then address each issue with
scientific evidence to the contrary.
“The paper’s clear conclusion is that
the primary claims of the sceptics do not undermine the assertion
that human-made climate change is already happening and is a
serious long-term threat,” said Mark Fulton, who heads the bank’s
Climate Change Investment Research arm.
The report argues that while it is true that science is not
settled on the specific dynamics of the climate system, the role of
CO2 as a driver of global warming is manifest in an increasing body
of research.
The latest ‘State of the Climate’ report, published by the US
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for instance, said
that global average surface and lower-troposphere temperatures have
been progressively warmer during the last three decades than all
previous decades (
target=”_blank”>EurActiv 30/07/10).
Deutsche Bank is one of the big players in climate investment,
with some €7 billion of its portfolio dedicated to climate funds.
It targeted the report at its investors, who make decisions based
on the available science.
“Due to the persistence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and
the lag in response of the climate system, there is a very high
probability that we are already heading towards a future where
warming will persist for thousands of years,” argued Fulton.
“Failing to insure against that high probability does not seem a
gamble worth taking.”
Climate scepticism has come to the surface after leaked letters
from the University of East Anglia were used as evidence that top
scientists had colluded to manipulate data to dramatic effect in
influential reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC).
The incident, dubbed ‘Climategate’, erupted shortly before the
Copenhagen climate conference, which then failed to find agreement
on a new global climate treaty.
The Deutsche Bank report states that various investigations have
since found no evidence supporting misconduct. Moreover, the
controversy is centred on a tiny subset of emails sent mainly
between four individuals and did not represent the broader
community of climate scientists, it pointed out.
target=”_blank”>A Summary of the Deutsche Bank Report is available
here
target=”_blank”>The full report can be downloaded here
Source: www.euractiv.com
