Publication Date October 20, 2021 | Climate Nexus Hot News

Study Of Studies Finds 99.9% Scientific Consensus On Human-Caused Climate Change As Impacts Ravage The Globe

A herd of adult and baby elephants
A herd of adult and baby elephants walks in the dawn light as the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, sits topped with snow in the background, seen from Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya. Credit: Ben Curtis, AP

The scientific community's level of certainty on humans' causation of climate change is now on par with its agreement on evolution and plate tectonics. A review of scientific literature, published in Environmental Research Letters, found just 28 papers linked to climate skepticism in its trawl of more than 88,000. The findings support the IPCC's declaration in August that the science of human influence on the heating atmosphere is "unequivocal," and refute the concerted disinformation campaign by fossil fuel interests seeking to sow doubt and uncertainty about their products' causation of the crisis — the impacts of which are visible around the world. A UN report released Tuesday warned all of Africa's glaciers could vanish in the next two decades. Africa is responsible for just 4% of greenhouse gas pollution, but the continent and its people are exceptionally vulnerable to the ravages of the climate crisis. Climate change accelerates glacier melt, intensifies droughts, and worsens extreme precipitation events like those that cause flash flooding. Meanwhile, on Tuesday: the governor of California expanded a drought emergency to cover the entire state; Indian officials said flooding caused by torrential rain has killed at least 22 people in Uttarakhand state; and a separate UN report said climate change exacerbated the worst flooding to hit South Sudan in almost 60 years. (Scientific consensus: The Guardian; African glaciers: APNew York Times $, ReutersThe HillAxiosCNNUSA TodayThe Independent; Newsom declares drought emergency across California (CAL MattersLA Times $, San Francisco ChronicleAxiosCNNUSA Today; India: AP; South Sudan: Reuters; Climate Signals background: Glacier and ice sheet meltDroughtExtreme precipitation increase)