The Turnstone: talking about climate change #3

Myths and misconceptions (2 minute read)

In these last years, the glacier has become less of a sight and more of a feeling.

The smoke from the mountain has begun to rise, yet we continue to live blindly.

Joyce Zhou

Iceberg calved from a glacier, Ross Island, Antarctica (image: Melanie Newfield)

Welcome to The Turnstone: talking about climate change, where I share resources to help you have better conversations about climate change. I send The Turnstone out every Sunday, alternating in-depth articles with “talking about vaccines” and “talking about climate change”. If you’d like The Turnstone emailed to you directly, you can sign up to my mailing list.

There are many myths and misconceptions about climate change, and they can be remarkably persistent. This month I share resources to help you have better conversations when you encounter some of these myths and misconceptions.

Weather vs climate

One common misconception is that exceptionally cold weather disproves climate change. There’s an opposite misconception as well – that exceptionally warm weather must be the result of climate change. At the core of this misconception is the distinction between weather and climate. So this first set of resources explains the difference between the two.

The short version (1 minute read)

What is the difference between weather and climate? (noaa.gov)

The video version with Neil deGrasse Tyson and his dog (2 minute video)

Weather vs climate from National Geographic

The slightly longer version (2 minute read and 7 minute video, which also covers Antarctic glaciers)

ESA - Weather vs climate: What's the difference?

An explanation of how scientists determine the contribution of climate change to extreme weather events (4 minute read)

Is climate change to blame for extreme weather events? Attribution science says yes, for some – here's how it works (theconversation.com)

Common myths and misconceptions debunked

Five common climate misconceptions (7 minute read)

Analysis: Five climate change science misconceptions – debunked | UCL News - UCL – University College London

Ten questions about climate myths (9 minute read, with a number of videos too)

Dispelling Myths - Climate Science, Risk & Solutions (mit.edu)

A great fact-checking site

Part of Agence France-Presse, AFP Fact Check has lots of articles debunking false claims about climate change. While there are other good fact-checking sources, AFP is one of the easiest to search. You can browse under the topics of “environment” and “science” for climate change articles, or you can search under specific words, such as “glaciers”.

Here’s an example of a recent article on glaciers and sea level rise. (4 minute read)

Glaciers study misleadingly used to downplay sea level rise risk | Fact Check (afp.com)

Crevasses on a glacier, Ross Island, Antarctica (image: Melanie Newfield)

Climate poetry

And finally – this month’s poem is by Joyce Zhou. Her poem Summer Job as Glacier Tour Guide won the Melting Ice Youth Poetry Challenge in 2017. You can read the full poem here (click on the red dot on the left hand side of the page), and if you want to read other poems submitted to the competition, there is a lovely anthology published here.

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