Skeptical Science

@skepticalscience.bsky.social

6416 Followers 395 Following

Non-profit science education organization building public resilience against climate misinformation. More at http://sks.to/welcome

Screenshot of our latest fact brief answering the question „Do electric vehicles stop working in extreme heat?" with „No - Extreme heat can temporarily reduce range, but recent research does not show that EVs are unable to operate in hot weather.[...]"

Some snapshots from the room in Vienna while Bärbel was giving her presentation about the Skeptical Science experiment.

Compilation of thumbnails from session NH9.13 about Natural Hazards communication

Composite imgae with thumbnails from the various short courses and the greate debate.

Composite image from presentations happening on Wednesday

Thumbnails from the sessions joined on Tuesday

Thumbnails of the slides used in the presentation about the upcoming website relaunch.

Composite image of the sessions joined from Monday to Friday.

Mock-up (from testing) of how a rebuttal will look like on the new website where the FLICC-fallacy can be shown next to the fact and myth statements.

Fact-Myth-Fallacy-Fact chart from The Debunking Handbook 2020

Figure 4: Change in accuracy among participants at varying pre-rebuttal values (positive value means increase in accuracy).

Figure 3 from the paper: Distribution of climate perceptions in pre-survey. 1 shows inaccurate answer, 6 shows accurate answer to question shown in Fig. 2c.

Figure 2 from the paper: Screenshots of modals used in the experiment design. (a) Invitation to participate in research. (b) Informed consent form detailing research design. (c) Survey question. (d) Final thank you modal.

Screenshot of our paper published in Geoscience Communication where we measure the impact of reading climate myth rebuttals on our Skeptical Science homepage.

https://sks.to/sksexperiment

Screenshot of the Skeptical Science Team participating in this year's Carbon Brief Quiz: Doug, Bob, Gavin, Jim, Ken, Dana & Bärbel

Illustrative image to go along with our call for help to get rebuttal translations prepared for our website relaunch. Shown are screenshots from the new website as well as information about the impacted languages.

Composite image showing some of the activities happening at Skeptical Science during 2025: new languages for the Cranky Uncle game, visiting the EGU conference, publications by team members, weekly research posts, the Cranky Uncle vaccine game, more than 50 published fact briefs, 33 highlighted rebuttals to renewable energy myths and a sneak-peek at the website relaunch.

Screenshot of the full list of published fact briefs - sks.to/gfb

Composite image showing thumbnails of fact briefs #41 to 50 published in collaboration with Gigafact.

Screenshot of our latest fact brief:

Q: "Is global warming actually happening?"

A: "Yes - Multiple indicators show Earth is warming rapidly. [...]"

https://sks.to/gfb-warming

Screenshot of our latest fact brief:

Q: "Are human CO2 emissions driving current global warming?"

A: "Yes - While many natural factors influence Earth’s climate, human emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide are driving today’s global warming. [...]"

https://sks.to/gfb-driver

Screenshot of the partial list of Sabin rebuttals showing the first 7 of them all related to solar energy myths.

Screenshot of a slide showing composite images of German fact brief and Sabin rebuttal translations.

Composite image showing screenshots of all 33 rebuttals to solar, wind and EV-myths published in collaboration with the Sabin Center of Climate Change Law.

Warming stripes - global 1850 - 2024

Screenshot of our latest fact brief:

Q: "Was 1934 the hottest year in the global record?"

A: "1934 was a particularly hot year in the contiguous United States, but not globally exceptional. Worldwide, 1934 was a relatively cooler year [...]"

https://sks.to/gfb-1934

Screenshot of fact brief answering the question "Is the sun responsible for global warming?" with "No - Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, not solar variability, is responsible for the global warming observed since the Industrial Revolution."

https://sks.to/gfb-sun

Screenshot of our latest fact brief:

Q: "Are CO2 measurements reliable?"

A: "Yes - Measurements of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are consistent, reliable, and globally verified across multiple independent systems. [...]"

https://sks.to/gfb-co2data

Screenshot of the announcement for the Weather & Climate Livestream:

SAVE AMERICA'S FORECASTS

Whether it's tomorrow's temperatures or the sea level in fifty years, Americans need to plan for our futures. For generations, the US government has invested in the science that helps us do so, building one of the greatest meteorology and climate science communities in the world.

In recent months, this community have been thwarted in our mission of serving the public due to substantial cuts and firings. These actions have already hurt our forecasts, endangering Americans as hurricane season approaches. Legally required assessments of the climate are being stopped, and far more drastic cuts are being proposed.

But it's not too late to stop these cuts. Already, public pressure has helped to reopen shuttered weather data centers. To help keep this pressure building, meteorologists and climate scientists from across America want to fulfill our mission by sharing our science with you - so we're coming to your screens, speaking and answering your questions, for over 100 hours, in this science-filled, non-partisan event:
The Weather & Climate Livestream

From Wednesday, May 28th to Sunday, June 1st, join meteorologists and climate scientists from across the US as we share our work, and show you what makes it so vital. We will clarify the impact of the cuts on this research, and answer your questions about weather and climate research in the US. Information on how to watch is coming soon. If you are a scientist who wants to participate, please visit this speakers page to learn more.

Screenshot of our latest fact brief created in collaboration with @gigafactproject.bsky.social

Q: "Is climate change a net benefit for society?"

A: "No - Human-caused climate change has been a net detriment to society as measured by loss of life, economic harm and ecosystem damage. [...]"

https://sks.to/gfb-impacts

Composite image illustrating the busy week Baerbel will have at the EGU meeting in Vienna. It shows the EGU website's banner, a screenshot from the program, sneak peeks of her two presentations and a view of her calendar for the week.

Screenshot of fact brief #30:

Q: "Is Mars warming?"

A: "Mars’ climate varies due to completely different reasons than Earth’s, and available data indicates no temperature trends comparable to Earth’s recent warming. [...]"

https://sks.to/gfb-mars

Cartoon featuring a cranky uncle archetype claiming there's no scientific consensus on climate change, and when confronted with evidence to the contrary then shifting his argument to say that science isn't done by consensus.

Image showing a snippet of an overall Climate fresk with 9 of the 42 cards at least partially visible (Image: Marylou Mauricio)

$Screenshot of Fact brief #29: Q: "Is waste heat from industrial activity the reason the planet is warming?" A: "No - Waste heat’s contribution to global warming is a small fraction of that brought about by carbon dioxide. [...]" https://sks.to/gfb-waste$

Screenshot of Fact brief #28:

Q: "Is Greenland losing land ice?"

A: "Yes - Data from satellites and expeditions confirm Greenland has been losing land ice at an accelerating rate for decades. [...]"

https://sks.to/gfb-greenland

From the Introduction to the game published in Plus Lucis:
Figure 3: Sample of “trail” screens, explaining techniques of science denial. (a) Denial techniques. (b) Explanation of “Overriding suspicion”. (c) Explanation of “Overriding suspicion ctd. (d) Final screen of “Overriding suspicion” trail.

Cranky Uncle cartoon character standing with crossed arms in front of country flags depicting the 16 languages the Cranky Uncle game can now be played in.

Screenshot of Fact brief #27:

Q: "Are high CO2 levels harmless because they also occurred in the past?"

A: "No - While the Earth adapted to high carbon dioxide levels in the past, modern civilization cannot without major consequences. [...]"

https://sks.to/gfb-pastco2

Illustrative image to take the Fact Brief Quiz

Screenshot from fact brief Fact brief #26:

Q: "Is sea level rise exaggerated?"

A: "No - Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, not stagnating or decreasing. [...]"

https://sks.to/gfb-sealevel

Screenshot of Fact brief #25:

Q: "Is methane the largest driver of recent global warming?"

A: "No - Methane only accounts for 20-30% of recent warming, while human-made CO2 remains the dominant driver of recent climate change. [...]"

https://sks.to/gfb-methane

Screenshot of Fact brief #24:

Q: "Is global warming promoting biodiversity?"

A: "No - Biodiversity is declining, and global warming is a contributing factor. [...]"

https://sks.to/gfb-species

Screenshot of Sabin33 Rebuttal #12 answering the question "Do solar panels work in cold or cloudy climates?" with "Solar panels generate energy even in cloudy or cold conditions, with cold temperatures actually increasing solar panel efficiency by increasing voltage."

Full text - https://sks.to/solarclouds

Screenshot of Fact brief #23:

Q: "Can CO2 be ignored because it’s just a trace gas?"

A: "No - While carbon dioxide is a small part of the atmosphere, it has a large impact on climate as a greenhouse gas. [...]"

https://sks.to/gfb-trace

Screenshot of Fact brief #22:

Q: "Are we heading into an ‘ice age’?"

A: "No - The planet has been getting warmer since the Industrial Revolution, not colder. [...]"

https://sks.to/gfb-iceage

#Sabin33 Rebuttal #11 answers the question "Is solar energy more expensive than energy from fossil fuels?" with "Unsubsidized solar energy is now generally cheaper than fossil fuels and according to the International Energy Agency, solar PV is “the cheapest source of new electricity generation in most parts of the world."

Full text - https://sks.to/solarprice

Screenshot from the Sabin33 Rebuttal #10 answering the question "Will utility-scale solar farms destroy the value of nearby homes?" with "Data across multiple studies show that utility-scale solar projects only have a minor impact on the closest properties and no effect on properties more than a mile away."

Full text - https://sks.to/solarhomeval

Screenshot from the #Sabin33 Rebuttal #9 answering the question "Will reliance on solar make the United States dependent on China and other countries?" with "Although the United States still imports a majority of the solar panels it installs, domestic solar manufacturing is on the rise and likely to grow further as manufacturers open factories in the U.S."

Full text - https://sks.to/solarchina

Illustrative image for the Skeptical Science Weekly Research Posts showing a big pile of papers and envelopes on a desk.

How our website might look like once we are done with our relaunch project.

Two sets of thumbnails of the 20 languages both the Conspiracy Theory and Debunking Handbooks are now available in

Composite showing the 33 rebuttals created in collaboration with the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Snapshot of rebuttal views in August for the most viewed rebuttals in 2024 when most of them already had been viewed more often then during the full two previous years.

Screenshot from Zoom: some members participating in this year's Carbon Brief Quiz

Composite showing the available translations of the Teachers' Guide to Cranky Uncle