Knowra Climate change denial Climate change denial Climate change denial is the rejection or misrepresentation of evidence that climate change is occurring, is substantially human-caused, or poses significant risks.
Motivated reasoning : Reasoning shaped by goals or preferred conclusions, which influences how evidence is interpreted. It helps explain why people scrutinize climate evidence unevenly when conclusions threaten prior commitments.
Global warming controversy : Public and political disputes over the evidence, causes, consequences, and policy responses to global warming. Climate change denial became a prominent strand within this wider controversy.
Naomi Oreskes : An American historian of science whose work examines scientific consensus and climate change. Her analysis of climate research helped document agreement among publishing climate scientists.
Scientific skepticism : The practice of evaluating claims through evidence, critical scrutiny, and openness to revision. Scientific skepticism tests climate findings; denial rejects evidence selectively or resists revision.
Climate policy : Public decisions and rules addressing climate change, including emissions reduction and adaptation. Denial can obstruct the political support needed to adopt or implement climate measures.
Cherry picking : Selecting evidence that supports a claim while ignoring relevant evidence that challenges it. Climate denial often isolates cold periods or local snowstorms while omitting long-term global trends.
Oregon Petition : A 1998 petition opposing a proposed international agreement to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, circulated with a journal-like presentation. Its large list of signatories was used to suggest that scientists broadly rejected climate concerns.
James Hansen : An American climate scientist whose 1988 congressional testimony brought global warming to broad public attention. His testimony became a prominent target in political disputes over climate evidence.
Climate change skepticism : Doubt or questioning about aspects of climate change, including its causes, impacts, or policy responses. The term can include ordinary uncertainty as well as organized rejection of well-supported findings.
Climate change communication : The exchange of information about climate science, impacts, and responses among researchers, institutions, and the public. Understanding denial shapes how communicators address false claims without overstating scientific certainty.
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