Be Informed For The IPCC Report

The IPCC will publish their long awaited Climate Change report this week, and as many of you may know, there has been quite a bit of news on the matter. It seems that for every article about the IPCC, their exhaustive, detailed research and what it will say, there are just as many articles about how the IPCC is driven by political ideologies, that the science is exaggerated and that Climate Change is not even real. How is anyone supposed to understand what is true and what is make believe? How are you going to wade through the mountains of data to form an educated opinion?

In my continuing effort to educate and raise awareness, here are a few suggestions:

1.  Read the IPCC report when it comes out. The actual report is rumored to be really long with lots of pages. But there is a 20+ page summary that will be released for those who's heads may spin with all of the numbers and data and studies sited. Read the report and then go from there. Don't take someone else's opinion on it. Not even mine.

2.   Know who is writing any article or blog. Did they do their research when they formed their opinion? There are a lot of bloggers out there, funded by Big Oil and Big Coal and Climate Change Deniers, who write anti-Global Warming and anti-IPCC because that's their job. In today's instant-information-age, anyone can post on the internet and be taken at face value. I am asking you not to take things at face value.

3.   There are a lot of great articles out there that you can use to educate yourself on the complex science involved in all this. Climate predictions are just that...predictions. But, the science that is used to calculate the possible effects is sound science. Don't let articles and news outlets that outright dismiss scientific facts without providing their own data and studies fool you. Simply saying "Climate Change is a hoax" or "Climate Change is not real!" are not valid arguments. Saying that since the Arctic Ice Cap rebounded from its all-time recorded low in 2012 to be the 6th smallest on record in 2013 is not an accurate scientific conclusion. Be informed!

4.   If you don't understand the science...ASK SOMEONE! Seriously, this stuff is complicated. I went to school for 4 years, earned a degree in Environmental Management this year, read about it everyday and still its tough to understand fully. It can be overwhelming. A high school science teacher, a college professor...someone who is a science person can put it simpler terms if you are having a hard time grasping all the data. If you do not understand the scientific method, I would highly recommend looking it over to see how these conclusions and findings have been formulated.

5.   United States-centric articles and blogs do NOT give you the whole picture! While many articles this summer have used the lack of significant tropical storms in the Atlantic as a sign that Global Warming is a farce, they fail to take into account the Pacific Hurricane and Typhoon season that has battered Mexico, the Philippines and now Hong Kong. It has been a very active year across the globe, which is in line with the predicted increased activity predicted by a warming planet.

6.   Know what Climate Change really means. Global Warming first warned of melting ice and rising seas. More water vapor fueling stronger storms, longer droughts due to higher temps, shifting climates leading to invasive species migrating to new latitudes were things that began to become apparent as we learned more about our effects on the Earth's troposphere with our CO2 emissions. Many critics of Climate Change like to point out that Global Warming became Climate Change out of desperation, as scientists and politicians scrambled to twist the facts. In actuality, Climate Change is being caused by Global Warming and the effects are much more wide-spread and intricate then we first realized. That is a fact.

7.   Understand the Scientific Method and how the Science World uses it in experimentation, research, and peer-review. Science will never offer up 100% certainty on anything. But 95% or 97% is a sign that things are pretty darn certain. If you understand how that works, you are ahead of the game.

Below are some links to articles I found useful and informative. Read, review, compare, research and share. I also recommend the following books that I found eye-opening and informative. Having a conversation is the only way to truly get to the heart and soul of what is REALLY happening with Climate Change. My hope is that enough of you who are on the fence or are confused will be able to learn more and have a better understanding of this complex issue. We can make a difference that has far reaching effects on our children's and grand children's future. All I ask is that you try and understand the facts before deciding for yourself what is true and what is make-believe.

Books:

"Merchants of Doubt" by Erik M. Conway & Naomi Oreskes

"Plan B 4.0 : Mobilizing To Save Civilization" by Lester R. Brown

"The Power of Sustainable Thinking: How to Create a Positive future for the Climate, the Planet, Your Organization and Your Life" by Bob Doppelt

"Plastic Ocean" by Captain Charles Moore with Cassandra Phillips

Links:

http://www.ipcc.ch

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/23/1240668/-Global-Warming-Deniers-Drop-Their-Bombshell-And-It-s-A-Dud#comments

http://truthdive.com/2013/09/12/How-global-warming-can-impact-El-Nino-s-strength.html

http://thetyee.ca/News/2013/09/03/Republicans-Carbon-Tax/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/08/130820-global-warming-leaked-report-ipcc-ar5-climate-change/#finished

http://science.time.com/2013/08/19/in-denial-about-the-climate-the-psychological-battle-over-global-warming/

http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/zeNXqAwxpYUZt53HwrssBN/Science-and-politics-make-for-a-poisonous-mixture.html