We should be happy about global warming, as it will delay the onset of the next ice age. Fact: The next ice age is not due for another 70,000 years, so we do not need to be concerned about it any time soon. [In fact, given the level of warming that is already locked in, some scientists believe the next ice age may not actually be due for another 100,000 years!]
Myth: 3°C of warming is nothing to worry about
3°C of warming is nothing. It’s less than a third of the difference between summer and winter, so there is nothing to fear from a hotter planet. Fact: 3°C of warming is very significant at a global level. In fact, the difference between an ice age and the current warm period can be as little as 5°C, although it can also be double that. [The oceans were about 3.5°C cooler during the last ice age.] The planet has not seen such high temperatures for 400,000 years, and certainly not when it had 8 billion people to feed.
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.]