U.S. Study Questions Research Expertise of Climate Change Skeptics

The scientists who have opposed policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generally lack the expertise of those scientists warning that human activity is causing global warming, according to a study by researchers at Stanford University. After an analysis of the publishing background of 1,372 academics, the researchers concluded that about 97 percent of working climate change scientists support the theory that human activity is responsible for a warming climate. Additionally, the hundreds of scientists who have signed public statements opposing government action on greenhouse gas emissions have published fewer peer-reviewed studies on climate change, noted the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. The academics were chosen from scientific assessment reports and numerous public statements both supporting and opposed to the mainstream theory. The study focused on the 908 researchers who had each published more than 20 peer-reviewed papers on the subject. “Despite media tendencies to present both sides in debates, which can contribute to continued public misunderstanding regarding (human-caused climate change), not all climate researchers are equal in scientific credibility and expertise in the climate system,” the study says.