Letter to a Climate Change Skeptic: The Science Behind Global Warming

Why Skepticism in Science is Healthy

Skepticism in science is healthy and natural – scientists should always challenge themselves and question their understanding of a concept to ensure they have arrived at the truth. However, in today’s society, there are a number of climate change “skeptics” or “deniers” that vigorously criticize any evidence that climate change and global warming are enhanced by human activities. Climate change skeptics use any of the following arguments to try and rationalize that human’s role in climate change is a myth: • The earth’s climate has changed before • The sun is the cause of climate change • Climate change is not a bad thing • There is no consensus on climate change • The earth’s temperature is cooling • Models are unreliable • The temperature record is unreliable • Animals and plants and humans can adapt In this assignment, you are going to write a letter to a theoretical climate change skeptic with the hope of convincing them that climate change is real and the future potential impacts of climate change are serious. Learning Outcomes • Develop skills of communicating science in a written format • Effectively use scholarly research and sources • Demonstrate understanding of the Earth’s energy budget and the role of greenhouse gases The Letter • Must be approximately 800-1000 words in length. Please format according to the following specifications: o 12-pt font (Arial, Cambria, Times New Roman, etc.) o 1-inch margins o Double spaced o Include page numbers o Note: word-count does not include title, sub-headings, figure captions, tables, in-text citations or reference list • Provide an appropriate salutation for your letter (i.e. “Dear: Climate Skeptic”) • Your letter can include, but is not limited to: o What are greenhouse gases and how do they influence the Earth’s energy budget and temperature o Where do greenhouse gases come from o Where in the atmosphere are greenhouse gases found o What is the role of humans in climate change and global warming o What are the potential impacts of global warming o What we can we do moving forward to mitigate global warming o And any other information you think could help convince a climate skeptic! • The letter can include (in fact we encourage you to!) figures, tables, or other diagrams that are relevant to this topic. If you include figures, please ensure they are numbered, have a descriptive caption, and their source is referenced properly (i.e. an in-text citation in the figure caption and a full reference in the bibliography) • Must include in-text citations (where appropriate) and a reference list at the end of the letter, with all references cited using the APA-style (see Moodle for workshop on APA citation style) (only books, government websites, academic websites and/or peerreviewed journal articles are permitted). A minimum of 3 sources should be referenced. • The letter must be written in a scholarly writing style • Please carefully proof-read and edit your letter to remove all grammar errors and typos • Please only submit your own work! • Please visit SPARK (https://spark.library.yorku.ca/essay-structure-elements-ofstructure/) or the Writing Center (http://writing-centre.writ.laps.yorku.ca/) for help with writing a scholarly paper • Please review evaluation scheme below to ensure you have included all components required • This is not a scientific report or paper, your document should read as a letter