Obama tweets analysis that 97% of peer-reviewed science confirms human-caused global warming by Lauremce Lewis, Daily Kos, May 16, 2013

Climate Denial's Death Knell

A new survey conducted by a team of volunteers at Skeptical Science has definitively confirmed the scientific consensus in climate science literature -97 percent of peer-reviewed papers agree that global warming is happening and human activities are responsible.

Climate Denial's Death Knell: 97 Percent of Peer-Reviewed Science Confirms Manmade Global Warming, Consensus Overwhelmingby Brendan DeMelle, DeSmog Blog, MAy 15, 2011

Climate research nearly unanimous

Of more than 4,000 academic papers published over 20 years, 97.1% agreed that climate change is anthropogenic.

Climate research nearly unanimous on human causes, survey findsby Suzanne Goldenberg, May 15, 2013

Consensus study

Research suggests support for climate change action increases if the public is aware of a scientific consensus on the evidence for human causes. But how many scientists really agree? A new study, out today, shows very few studies reject that climate change is human caused, and hopes to promote this message by encouraging the public to get involved. 

A team of volunteers from climate science blog,Skeptical Science, rated the abstracts of nearly 12,000 peer-reviewed papers based on their level of agreement that climate change is human caused. The new study aims to identify the level of consensus by analysing 20 years of climate change literature. 

Consensus study: fewer than one per cent of climate studies reject human causesby Mat Hope and Freya Roberts, The Carbon Brief, May 16, 2013 

Is the science settled?

A group of volunteers have given up their time over the last few years to answer the question, once and for all, as to whether the "science is settled".

Is the science settled?by Dana Nuccitelli, ABC Environment, May 16, 2013

It's official! Humans caused global warming.

A comprehensive analysis of 4,000 studies on climate change published over last 21 years has revealed an overwhelming consensus among climate scientists that humans are to blame for global warming, researchers claim.

It's official! Humans caused global warming, ZeeNews.com, May 16, 2013

Global warming consensus: We can haz it!

The issue at hand is this: What is the level of agreement in the scientific community about the reality of climate change and about the human role in climate change? The new paper, Quantifying the consensus on anthropogenic global warming in the scientific literature, address this question and the answer is very clear. The number of climate scientists who question the reality of global warming or the human role in global warming is vanishingly small.

Global Warming Consensus: We can haz it!by Greg Laden, Greg Laden's Blog on Science Blog, May 16, 2013, 

Largest study of peer-reviewed literature to date

A new peer-reviewed study has confirmed again that there is an overwhelming consensus on the human-driven cause of climate disruption. The study, Quantifying the consensus on anthropogenic global warming in the scientific literature by John Cook and a large number of contributors to the website Skeptical Science (Cook et al 2013), looked at 11,944 papers over a 21 year period and assigned each to one of three categories on the basis of the papers’ abstracts: endorse, reject, or take no position on the consensus. Of the papers that either endorsed or rejected the consensus, 97.1% of the papers and 98.4% of the papers’ authors endorsed the consensus. In addition, 1200 authors of the analyzed papers were contacted and asked to self-rate their own papers for level of endorsement. Of the self-rated papers that either endorsed or rejected the consensus, 97.2% of the papers and 96.4% of the authors endorsed the consensus.

Largest study of peer-reviewed literature to date finds overwhelming climate disruption consensusby Brian Angliss, Scholars& Rogues, May 15, 2013

'Overwhelming' consensus for manmade warming

A comprehensive assessment of climate change research has found an overwhelming consensus among scientists that recent warming is human-induced.

'Overwhelming' consensus for manmade warming: reviewby Sarah Clarke, ABC News, May 16, 2013

Scientists Agree (Again)

Public opinion on the topic of climate change is notoriously fickle, changing -- quite literally sometimes -- with the weather. The latest bit of evidence on this: Yale's April 2013 climate change survey, which found, among other things, that Americans' conviction that global warming is happening had dropped by seven points, to 63 percent, over the preceding six months. The decline, the authors surmised, was most likely due to "the cold winter of 2012-13 and an unusually cold March just before the survey was conducted."

Scientists Agree (Again): Climate Change Is Happeningby Tom Zellar Jr., Huffington Post, May 16, 2013 

Scientists agree global warming is man-made

An overwhelming majority of scientists agree humans have caused global warming, according to a study of scientific literature produced over the past two decades that claims to be the most comprehensive of its kind.

Scientists agree global warming is man-madeby Pilita Clark, Financial Times, May 16, 2013

Scientific 'consensus' that humans to blame

A review of 12,000 scientific papers has found the consensus among scientists that humans are to blame for climate change is "overwhelming" and the dissenting view was held by less than two per cent of scientists.

Scientific 'consensus' that humans to blame for climate changeby Jonathan Pearlman, The Telegraph, May 16, 2013

Scientists say united on global warming

Ninety-seven percent of scientists say global warming is mainly man-made but a wide public belief that experts are divided is making it harder to gain support for policies to curb climate change, an international study showed on Thursday.

Scientists say united on global warming, at odds with public viewby Alister Doyle, Reuters, May 15, 2013

Survey finds 97% of climate science papers agree

Our team of citizen science volunteers at Skeptical Science has published a new survey in the journal Environmental Research Letters of over 12,000 peer-reviewed climate science papers, as the Guardian reports today. This is the most comprehensive survey of its kind, and the inspiration of this blog's name: Climate Consensus– the 97%.

Survey finds 97% of climate science papers agree warming is man-madeby Dana Nuccitelli, The Guardian, May 16, 2013

The Consensus Projectwas a long, ambitious effort by many volunteers, lasting 12 months from beginning to submission ofour paperto peer-reviewed journalEnvironmental Research Letters. The project involved citizen science from start to finish - from the rating of the abstracts to the collection of scientists' emails tocrowd-funding the journal fee to make the paper free to the public. It was an enormous collaborative effort that the entire Skeptical Science community contributed to. The effort has resulted instrong media interestincluding atweet from President Obama.

We want our results to be transparent and replicable, so that anybody can quantify the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming for themselves.  Thus we've created aninteractive rating systemthat lets Skeptical Science readers rate the abstracts from The Consensus Project. You can thencompare your ratingsto the results fromQuantifying The Consensus. Note that your ratings are private - no specific ratings will be publicly attributed to individuals.

All papers receive two types of ratings - the category of research and the level of endorsement of anthropogenic global warming (AGW). Here are general definitions of each category and endorsement level, although we've also provided amore detailed set of guidelines.

Level of Endorsement

1. Explicit Endorsement of AGW with quantification
2. Explicit Endorsement of AGW without quantification
3. Implicit Endorsement of AGW
4. Neutral
5. Implicit Rejection of AGW
6. Explicit Rejection of AGW without quantification
7. Explicit Rejection of AGW with quantification

Categories

1. Impacts (Effects and impacts of climate change on the environment, ecosystems or humanity)
2. Methods (Focus on measurements and modeling methods, or basic climate science not included in the other categories)
3. Mitigation (Research into lowering CO2 emissions or atmospheric CO2 levels)
4. Not Related To Climate (Social science, education, research about people’s
   views on climate)
5. Opinion (Not peer-reviewed articles)
6. Paleoclimate (Examining climate during pre-industrial times)

The purpose of the interactive rating systemis to replicate our experience of reading and categorising peer-reviewed climate research, to gain a deeper insight into ourQuantifying The Consensuspaper by participating in the process yourself. Check out the diversity of climate research on offer and try for yourself the categorisation of the papers' abstracts. All papers from our analysis are available for rating except the ones that had no abstract (47 papers). Please share your thoughts in this comments thread on the rating system, the categorisation guidelines, the climate research and other thoughts related to ourQuantifying The Consensuspaper.

Depending on how popular this feature is, I hope to continue adding features to theinteractive rating system. Some possible features include visualisations of your ratings and a leaderboard of most productive raters.

A change in temperature

Since 1896, scientists have been trying to answer a deceptively simple question: What will happen to the temperature of the earth if the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubles?

A Change in Temperatureby Justin Gillis, New York Times, May 13, 2013

Arctic waters growing alarmingly acidic

In the past 200 years the average acidity of surface waters in the world’s oceans has risen by 30 percent. This is prime evidence of humans really changing the entire planet.

Arctic waters growing alarmingly acidicby Erlend Lånke Solbu, The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, ScienceNordic, May 11, 2013 

'Best estimate' for impact of melting ice on sea level rise

Researchers have published their most advanced calculation for the likely impact of melting ice on global sea levels.

'Best estimate' for impact of melting ice on sea level riseby Matt McGrath. BBC News, May 14, 2013

Canada sells out science

Over the past few years, the Canadian government has been lurching into antiscience territory. For example, they’ve been muzzling scientists, essentially censoring them from talking about their research. Scientists have fought back against this, though from what I hear with limited success.

But a new development makes the situation appear to be far worse. In a stunning announcement, the National Research Council—the Canadian scientific research and development agency—has now said that they will only perform research that has“social or economic gain”.

This is not a joke. I wish it were.

Canada Sells Out Scienceby Phil Plait, Bad Astromony Blog, Slate, May 13, 2013

Climate change 'will make hundreds of millions homeless'

It is increasingly likely that hundreds of millions of people will be displaced from their homelands in the near future as a result of global warming. That is the stark warning of economist and climate change expert Lord Stern following the news last week that concentrations of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere had reached a level of 400 parts per million (ppm).

Climate change 'will make hundreds of millions homeless'by Robin McKie, the Guardioan, May 12, 2013

Fewer Rain Forests Mean Less Energy

The loss of tropical rain forests is likely to reduce the energy output of hydroelectric projects in countries like Brazil that are investing billions of dollars to create power to support economic growth.

That is the conclusion of a group of experts whose findings, released Monday, run counter to the conventional understanding of deforestation’s impact on watersheds. 

Fewer Rain Forests Mean Less Energy for Developing Nations, Study Findsby Felicity Barringer, Naew York Times, May 13, 2013

Obama administration outlines new policy for the Arctic

The Obama administration on Friday released a national strategy for the Arctic in advance of Secretary of State John Kerry’s trip next week to Sweden to attend a conference of eight polar nations.

Obama administration outlines new policy for protecting, drilling in the Arcticby Erika Bolstad,McClatchy, Washington Bureau, May 10, 2013

Ralph Keeling ponders a sobering milestone

Climate scientist Ralph Keeling has followed in the footsteps of his father, who pioneered the measurement of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, the younger Keeling talks about the implications of crossing an alarming CO2 threshold this month.

Son of Climate Science Pioneer Ponders A Sobering Milestoneby Fen Montaigne, Yale Environment 360, May 14, 2013

Sea levels are rising - but how quickly?

Scientists are warning that the level of the sea may rise by slightly more than previously forecast - but they also say that the very worst predictions look much less likely. 

Sea levels are rising - but how quickly?by David Shukman, BBC News, May 14, 2013

Swift political action can avert a carbon dioxide crisis

Carbon dioxide levels have reached an all-time high. But there is some hope if governments take the figures seriously 

Climate change: swift political action can avert a carbon dioxide crisis, Editorial Board, The Observer/The Guardian, May 11, 2013

UK government faces an exodus of energy experts 

The Government is facing an exodus of senior energy and climate change advisers amid growing concerns that decisive action to tackle global warming is falling victim to Treasury intransigence.

Coalition faces an exodus of energy experts as funding for renewables is held up on grounds of costby Paul Bignell and Oliver Wright, The Independent, May 11, 2013

Warmer climate threatens Africa’s vital cassava crop

A plant which is a staple food crop for millions of people across Africa is at risk from disease as regional temperatures rise, scientists say.

The plant, cassava, is a significant source of food and income, and is an important industrial crop, and there is concern that serious food shortages may result and poverty worsen.

Experts say the spread of the disease could halve cassava production and threaten the diets of 300 million people.

Warmer climate threatens Africa’s vital cassava cropby Alex Kirby, Climate News Network, May 11, 2013