Myth: The IPCC is exaggerating the dangers of global warming

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has exaggerated the dangers posed by climate change.

Fact:

This is simply not true. If anything, the IPCC is underestimating the impacts of global warming. For example, its reports have downplayed the importance of Arctic sea ice loss in driving future global warming (via reduced albedo), have discounted the impact of meltwater from Greenland’s glaciers in raising sea levels, and have largely ignored the impact of methane released by melting permafrost in the Arctic. By contrast, scientific papers in respected journals actually paint a far bleaker picture of the Earth’s prospects than does the IPCC. The main reason for this is that the IPCC is very conservative and does not wish to present scientific speculation as fact. [The IPCC has, on occasion, overestimated certain impacts of global warming, but such examples are isolated, and are always corrected when new evidence and data come to hand. This is in stark contrast to the pronouncements of climate sceptics.]