This is clearly not helped by politician and media sensationalism about the uncertainties (and flaws) in any scientific summary of the position. So what is an interested non-scientist to do? Just where are the credible scientific sources presented in a form that an interested lay person can understand - and understand not only the conclusions but also the uncertainties and the issues that remain.
Below I have listed the useful and balanced sources that I have found so far amongst the chaff. Please comment on and augment this list.
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - provides access to their pivotal assessment reports on climate change, including their summary for policymakers - the IPCC is the leading scientific body for the assessment of climate change, established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic consequences
- Spencer Weart's History of Climate Change Science - an easily read summary of the history of the scientific discovery of global warming, as part of his recommended low production value site of essays covering a large range of climate change topics
- A Paleo Perspective on Climate Change - describes the way paleo-climatic data has extended the climate record back before the regular use of thermometers, and thus considerably enhanced the data on which climate sciece can operate
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center's Global Warming Frequently Asked Questions - excellent summary of the key questions on climate change history, data, uncertainties and projections
- Random Facts on Climate Change - 35 short random facts for those who like unrelated facts or for those with short attention spans!
- United Nations Environmental Program on Climate Change - UN site includes good coverage of science, policy and government and international actions, including of Copenhagen and similar UN sponsored meetings
- Pew Center on Climate Change's Global Warming Basics - US focused and accepts the position that human activity contributes materially to climate change and needs to be reduced, provides a readable and extensible introduction to climate change, and the policy and technological options
And some good bibliographic/metadata type sources:
- DMOZ Open Library Project on Climate Change - provides a categorized but generally self-annotated list of internet resources on climate change
- US Library of Congress Science Tracer Bullets Online on Global Warming & Climate Change - an annotated bibliography of reputable information sources, including a good range of internet sources in the second half
- Science and Technology Sources on the Internet's Global Warming and Climate Change Science - an annotated librarian's guide to relevant internet sources, covering the full range of viewpoints and aspects (links are updated)
Contributors - jawbone
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written by g3n1u5, 18:57 14 Dec 09
I think this is a great site. I dont think the big debate on what is causing climiate change is really helping. The division between man made verse nature made is drawing resources away from the real issue at hand. The climate is changing, and never before has the human race been so interdependent with technology, which is so sensitive to the climate. I think we need sites like these to help inform the public, and to support the decision makers, on the best use of resources to ensure the least amount of loss of life in all areas.
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written by jawbone, 08:26 17 Dec 09
Hi g3n1u5, great comment. Can you expand on why you think technology is so sensitive to the climate?
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written by g3n1u5, 05:49 20 Dec 09
Hi Jawbone,
Nice to chat with you.
When I look around at technology, I see it in two main facets. The first is about the direct impact that climate / environment has on technology. The weather factors such as heat, rain, wind has a direct physical impact, I think that when you combine these changes with magnetism, gravity and radiation, ie solar storms, that our climate starts to get interesting. For instance, if I think about Earth Quakes, and the relationship with tectonic plate movements, and that plate moves are influenced by air pressure, and the physical connections within the supply equipment for electricity, gas and water. This is but one small example.
Have you ever heard the theory of this cycle ? Earth heats up, heats up air, air pressure changes, tectonic plates move ie rub against each other, this causes volcanic reactions, this shoots fine ash and dust into the upper atmosphere, this in turn reflects & repels radiation back into space ( before it gets to heat up the earth), planet cools.
I know this is a highly simple example, but it does seem to make sense.
The other Facet I am thinking about is how Technology supports or life in a direct manner. I am thinking about air conditioning for instance. The more we use it to limit the effects on our bodies, the more reliant we become on it in general life. While it is nice to not be in 40 degree heat, if we are not used to it, and we get more of these days, and even more of them in a row, then people die, or get very sick. My friend Kate lives in Gunnedah, and they 10 days in a row not all that long ago, where the temp in their back yard was over 40 degrees C. If systems break down in climate support, some people just wont have the resistance to the extremes, and the cause and effects that result.
From driving in the country around Sydney, and noticing the changes in the budding times of our native plants, watching the changes in animal behavior, its easy to see that the tradition timing and pattens have are changing. Nature is telling us that our climate is changing. Sure its done this before, but were we around in the same way as then?
Regards
Tony (g3n1u5)
Nice to chat with you.
When I look around at technology, I see it in two main facets. The first is about the direct impact that climate / environment has on technology. The weather factors such as heat, rain, wind has a direct physical impact, I think that when you combine these changes with magnetism, gravity and radiation, ie solar storms, that our climate starts to get interesting. For instance, if I think about Earth Quakes, and the relationship with tectonic plate movements, and that plate moves are influenced by air pressure, and the physical connections within the supply equipment for electricity, gas and water. This is but one small example.
Have you ever heard the theory of this cycle ? Earth heats up, heats up air, air pressure changes, tectonic plates move ie rub against each other, this causes volcanic reactions, this shoots fine ash and dust into the upper atmosphere, this in turn reflects & repels radiation back into space ( before it gets to heat up the earth), planet cools.
I know this is a highly simple example, but it does seem to make sense.
The other Facet I am thinking about is how Technology supports or life in a direct manner. I am thinking about air conditioning for instance. The more we use it to limit the effects on our bodies, the more reliant we become on it in general life. While it is nice to not be in 40 degree heat, if we are not used to it, and we get more of these days, and even more of them in a row, then people die, or get very sick. My friend Kate lives in Gunnedah, and they 10 days in a row not all that long ago, where the temp in their back yard was over 40 degrees C. If systems break down in climate support, some people just wont have the resistance to the extremes, and the cause and effects that result.
From driving in the country around Sydney, and noticing the changes in the budding times of our native plants, watching the changes in animal behavior, its easy to see that the tradition timing and pattens have are changing. Nature is telling us that our climate is changing. Sure its done this before, but were we around in the same way as then?
Regards
Tony (g3n1u5)
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written by jawbone, 06:50 21 Dec 09
Thanks for the elaboration. I hadn't considered the feedback cycles you mentioned as technology focused.
I can see how technology development responds to current needs/opportunities that have an economic payback, and that this is likely to be heavily affected by climate change and the ways humanity chooses to try to reduce greenhouse emissions, and other factors it considers to be anthropogenic contributors.
I agree that urbanized individuals are probably less resilient to weather differences than a generation or two ago. Hopefully this is still largely a matter of comfort rather than life threatening health!
What did you think of the Copenhagen agreement http://unfccc.int/resource/doc...ng/l07.pdf - very much a political document with phrases in for all the different constituent groups. I think the politics in getting a globally coherent agreement is going to be significantly tougher than gaining a scientific consensus.
I can see how technology development responds to current needs/opportunities that have an economic payback, and that this is likely to be heavily affected by climate change and the ways humanity chooses to try to reduce greenhouse emissions, and other factors it considers to be anthropogenic contributors.
I agree that urbanized individuals are probably less resilient to weather differences than a generation or two ago. Hopefully this is still largely a matter of comfort rather than life threatening health!
What did you think of the Copenhagen agreement http://unfccc.int/resource/doc...ng/l07.pdf - very much a political document with phrases in for all the different constituent groups. I think the politics in getting a globally coherent agreement is going to be significantly tougher than gaining a scientific consensus.
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written by g3n1u5, 17:52 22 Dec 09
I think the news yesterday and today from parts of Europe and the USA, with the disruption to the transport systems because of the cold weather snap. While there were few deaths, the financial loss and the disruption to peoples lives would have been considerable.
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