• March 25, 2025 - Please click on the link below.

    Why scientists are quietly challenging current climate claims

    This article gives a different perspective on what we usually hear about climate change. Everyone agrees on the fact that our climate is changing but there is disagreement on how much human activity impacts climate change and how accurately our current models reflect this change.

    For example, in the 80's scientists were very worried about the Arctic "ozone hole" which they felt would cause In the 1980s, scientists were deeply concerned about the ozone hole primarily because of the health and environmental impacts of increased UV radiation reaching us.The thinning ozone layer meant that harmful UV-B rays from the sun would penetrate the atmosphere, potentially leading to increased rates of skin cancer, cataracts, and damage to marine life and agricultural crops. The discovery of the ozone hole and the fear of its consequences spurred international collaboration and the development of the Montreal Protocol, an agreement to phase out ozone-depleting industrial substances like CFCs. This brought the attention of the whole world to the adverse effects of synthetic fluorinated gases found in applications such as refrigeration and electrical transmissions.  This global effort resulted in almost a complete reduction in the synthetic gases, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's). 

    Since then, scientists have found that the depletion was actually caused by colder temperatures and greater snowfalls. Ozone thinning and holes occur naturally in a cyclic pattern and ozone holes are not a major contributor to climate change. But fluorinated gases DO contribute significantly to global warming !

    Currently, scientists are studying the world under the ice sheets of Antarctica to understand hidden triggers of melting glaciers - they are realizing that ocean currents and wind patterns are some of the underlying causes. Nothing is as straightforward as it may seem! 

    This is the third reading that provides the background for our next Philosophical Chairs on April 4th. You will have one more reading on Mar 31st.