Here’s my seventh Cranky Uncle video, debunking the myth that climate has changed naturally in the past so current climate change must be natural. This animated video is adapted from cartoons in the Cranky Uncle vs. Climate Change book.
Throughout Earth’s history, there have been periods when climate changed dramatically. Over the last half million years, our planet has transitioned from ice ages _ to warm periods _ then back again.
The past sends us a clear message. Our climate is highly sensitive to small changes in heat. The slightest nudge causes a strong reaction.
Another way to look at it – our climate system is like a cranky beast which overreacts to even small prods. Right now, we’re hitting it with a big stick!
But cranky uncles take entirely the wrong message from the past. They argue that climate is changing naturally now because climate changed naturally in the past. This argument commits single cause fallacy – assuming something only has a single cause when there might be multiple factors. It’s like arguing _ that murders don’t happen now _ because people have died of natural causes in the past.
If you want to delve into this myth in greater detail, we debunk the myth “Climate changed naturally in the past so modern climate change must be natural” at Skeptical Science. We also debunk the myth in our MOOC Denial101x: Making Sense of Climate Science Denial:
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