Things people say about climate change
The Sun, volcanoes, cold winters and the ice ages. Gently checked.
MythThe climate has always changed, so this is natural too.
FactEarth’s climate has been changing since the planet formed 4.5 billion years ago. Until recently, natural factors drove those changes. Met Office: Causes of climate change The Met Office says the evidence is clear: the main cause of climate change is burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal. Met Office: Causes of climate change
MythIt’s the Sun.
FactIf extra energy from the Sun were the cause, the whole atmosphere would warm, but only the bottom layer is warming. Met Office: Causes of climate change
MythVolcanoes give out more carbon dioxide than people.
FactVolcanoes give out 50 times less carbon dioxide than people do, and their main effect is actually cooling. Met Office: Causes of climate change
MythEl Niño explains the warming.
FactEl Niño years warm the globe and La Niña years cool it, but only for months or years. They can’t explain the steady warming. Met Office: Causes of climate change
MythThe greenhouse effect is bad.
FactThe greenhouse effect itself is vital: without it the Earth would be bitterly cold and people could not survive. Met Office: What is climate change? Adding extra greenhouse gases makes the blanket thicker. The Met Office calls this the enhanced greenhouse effect, and it is the main cause of climate change. Met Office: Causes of climate change
MythClimate change and global warming mean exactly the same thing.
FactNASA points out that “climate change” and “global warming” are often swapped around but do not mean quite the same thing. NASA Science: What is climate change?
MythCarbon dioxide levels were this high in the ice ages.
FactAir bubbles in ice cores show carbon dioxide never went above 300 ppm in the ice-age cycles of the past million years or so, and it was 280 ppm or less before the Industrial Revolution. NOAA Climate.gov (archived June 2025): Atmospheric carbon dioxide There is more carbon dioxide in the air today than at any time in at least the past 2 million years. Met Office: Causes of climate change
MythIf we stopped all emissions today, warming would stop at once.
FactGreenhouse gases can stay in the air for tens or hundreds of years, so some further warming can’t be avoided even if all emissions stopped today. Met Office: What is climate change?
MythA cold winter proves the world isn’t warming.
FactThe 10 most recent years are the warmest on record (NASA). NASA: Global temperature (vital sign) By 2024 it had been 48 years since Earth last had a cooler-than-average year in NOAA’s record. NOAA Climate.gov (archived June 2025): Global temperature
MythSea level is rising only because ice is melting.
FactSeawater expands as it warms, so a warmer ocean takes up more room and the sea rises. Meltwater from ice on land adds more. Met Office: Effects of climate change
MythWater vapour doesn’t count as a greenhouse gas.
FactWater vapour is the greenhouse gas with the largest effect. Encyclopaedia Britannica: greenhouse effect