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Scientific Consensus on Climate Change?

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  • Klaus-Martin Schulte

    (Consultant in Endocrine and General Surgery, Department of Endocrine Surgery, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, United Kingdom Honorary Senior Lecturer of Surgery, King's College London)

Abstract

Fear of anthropogenic “global warming†can adversely affect patients' well-being. Accordingly, the state of the scientific consensus about climate change was studied by a review of the 539 papers on “global climate change†found on the Web of Science database from January 2004 to mid-February 2007, updating research by Oreskes, who had reported that between 1993 and 2003 none of 928 scientific papers on “global climate change†had rejected the consensus that more than half of the warming of the past 50 years was likely to have been anthropogenic. In the present review, 31 papers (6% of the sample) explicitly or implicitly reject the consensus. Though Oreskes said that 75% of the papers in her former sample endorsed the consensus, fewer than half now endorse it. Only 7% do so explicitly. Only one paper refers to “catastrophic†climate change, but without offering evidence. There appears to be little evidence in the learned journals to justify the climate-change alarm that now harms patients.

Suggested Citation

  • Klaus-Martin Schulte, 2008. "Scientific Consensus on Climate Change?," Energy & Environment, , vol. 19(2), pages 281-286, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:engenv:v:19:y:2008:i:2:p:281-286
    DOI: 10.1260/095830508783900744
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    1. Anthony A. Leiserowitz, 2005. "American Risk Perceptions: Is Climate Change Dangerous?," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(6), pages 1433-1442, December.
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