Rebuttals for climate deniers' arguments

No matter how passionate about an issue you are, sometimes when you're confronted about it your mind just blanks. Whether it's a matter of climate justice, social justice, or something else, you can't always have millions of facts and citations at your fingertips.

But - at least when it comes to climate change - climate deniers have a couple recurring arguments. Today, we're going to go over some common arguments from climate deniers and how to rebut them (using reputable sources!).

What they say: "There's no consensus."

What you can say:

At least 97 percent of actively publishing climate scientists agree that the climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities. Globally, most prominent scientific organizations have publicly endorsed this stance.

Bonus: this list includes every scientific organization that believes climate change is caused by human action (there's a lot of them!).

Source: NASA

What they say: "But it's cold outside!"

What you can say:

A short term temperature drop doesn't mean a long term change. That's because coldness outside is usually the weather, and climate change refers to the climate. Day-to-day fluctuations = weather. Long term trends = climate.

Plus, climate change doesn't just encompass warming. It also can result in all kinds of extreme temperatures, including coldness.

Source: National Geographic

What they say: "The climate has always changed."

What you can say:

Over the long, long history of the Earth, of course the climate has changed a lot. However, this rapid changing cannot be explained by natural warming and cooling. In fact, our current climate is changing about 20 times faster than the most rapid climate changes in Earth's history!

Source: The Guardian

What they say: "But carbon dioxide is good, right? Plants need it!"

What you can say:

Look at it this way: humans need oxygen, yet too much of it will kill us. Essentially, lots and lots of a good thing can turn into a bad thing. Ecosystems, complex as they are, need specific balances, not just lots and lots of one thing. So, here's what an overwhelming amount of CO2 actually does: it causes ocean acidification, contributes to climate change, and reduces important proteins and nutrients within plants.

Sources: The David Suzuki Foundation and National Observer

I hope this short article is helpful to some of you! Thanks for reading.