UNMASKING CLIMATE CHANGE DENIAL

Despite the visible reality of climate change, many professional “climate deniers” persist in spreading misinformation.

- Dr Souryabrata Mohapatra Asst Prof IIT Jodhpur Amit Mitra Research Associate at NCAER

Let’s contrast several common myths with the scientific reality.

One pervasive myth claims that global warming is a hoax and there is no climate change.

Yet, the surface of the Earth, including the atmosphere, oceans, and land, is warming rapidly, accompanied by numerous changes in the climate. In India, average temperatures have risen by around 0.8 degrees Celsius between 1901 and 2018, leading to more intense heatwaves and changing monsoon patterns, which affect millions of people.

Another myth argues that CO2 is not the cause of climate change.

True, the climate has experienced warming periods before, but each instance was driven by excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as CO2, methane, and sulfur dioxide. CO2 emissions have grown from 1.2 billion tonnes in 1900 to 2.6 billion tonnes in 2019, largely due to industrial growth and increased energy consumption.

A third myth downplays the significance of a 2or 3-degree Celsius increase in temperature, suggesting that because we cope with larger daily and seasonal temperature variations, this should be manageable.