Claim:
“The so-called ‘consensus’ on global warming is even more disputed. Over 650 dissenting scientists from around the globe challenged man-made global warming claims made by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and former Vice President Al Gore.”
– Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) from his January 8, 2009 statement on the floor of the Senate.
Truth:
There is no real debate among scientists about the basic facts of global warming. The most respected scientific bodies have stated unequivocally that global warming is occurring, and people are causing it by burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests.
Most of the 650 scientists’ names listed in the report were recycled from the debunked 2007 version that consisted largely of individuals with no expertise in climate science.
Here is a five-part series from our Climate 411 blog on how we know humans cause global warming, which explores the 175-year history of global warming science and what we know about global warming.