[167] Debunking (some) climate myths with Dr Ella Gilbert

A Sustainable Life with Jen Gale

Following on from last week's episode looking into some of the basics of climate science with Dr Adam Levy, this week I'm chatting to another climate scientist, Dr Ella Gilbert, and this time we're diving into the murky world of climate denial!
Here's some of the misinformation that Ella addresses for us, using actual science:

• Climate scientists cherry pick the data and make it all up
• Global temperature stations are now located in next to airports and in built up regions which is why recorded temperatures are hotter
• How come it felt relatively colder in the UK this summer?
• The wildfires that happened globally over the summer were started by arsonists
• In the 1970's scientists were predicting an ice age
• Climate scientists are part of a global conspiracy
• What about the Roman or Medieval Warm Periods and the Little Ice Age?
• 30 years ago we were told to panic about the hole in the ozone layer - that was all the rage for a season or two, now we're told to panic about global warming
• Temperature records began at the end of the Little Ice Age so of course temperatures have increased
• There are no temperature measurements from thousands of years ago, so you're just making that data up
• More carbon dioxide is better for plants
• What about China? No point us doing anything when China are such big emitters
  

Dr Ella Gilbert

Image credit: Joel Pett

GOOD NEWS!
In the new Good News section after the main interview, I share some of the good climate news happening (because there is some, I promise!). Here's this weeks pick:

• The BBC Green Sport's Awards announced their winners (BBC)
• Ban on single use plastic cutlery comes into force in England (BBC)
• Kate and Libby in The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse both shared great examples of 'ripples':
  - Kate said "I met up with a lovely friend last night who is a huge fan of fast fashion and fast homewares, and she said that some of my social posts about “you don’t need to buy storage containers, you can reuse what you’ve got” has properly stopped her from buying loads of those kinds of things"
  - Libby shared "I just noticed that a few years ago, I was the only one on the street walking my kids to school. Now, there are normally 4 other families also walking their kids to school who used to drive every day. One of them commented a while back that she saw us walking and thought she should too."

---

LISTEN...

---

USEFUL LINKS:

• Dr Ella Gilbert
  - Website
  - You Tube
  - Instagram
  - Twitter (X?!)
  - Linked In
  
• British Antarctic Survey
• Episode 128 - Turn the tide on climate anxiety
• Turn the Tide on Climate Anxiety (book)
• Episode 166 - Climate science 101 with Dr Adam Levy
• James Hansen's testimony to US Congress in 1988
• Carbon Brief - How do climate models work?
• Carbon Brief - How well have climate models projected global warming?
• Ella's video with Climate Adam
• Katharine Hayhoe
• Professor Mark Maslin on Twitter
• Ella's Guardian article on the UK's 1976 heatwave
• Warming Stripes
• Europe warming faster than the rest of the world
• Positive News website
• Good News Network
• Episode 156 - Harnessing the power of football
  
• Carbon Literacy training
• The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse

---

What were your takeaways from this episode? Any lightbulb moments?
What are you going to go out and DO as a result of this episode?
And what's your good climate news?
Do share in a comment below!

[…]