Beck falsely claims there's been “zero warming for over a decade”

Special Programs Climate & Energy

Written by Zachary Pleat

Published

On his Fox News show, Glenn Beck falsely claimed that there has been “zero warming for over a decade” and that climate change is a “scam” and has been “totally discredited”. In fact, longer-term data establishes a warming trend, and the scientific consensus behind human-driven climate change remains intact.

Beck says “zero warming for over a decade” and “cap-and-trade is the biggest socialist scam”

From the April 23 edition of Fox News Channel's Glenn Beck:

Now he is trying to jam at least two more wildly divisive issues down our throat. First, cap-and-trade. Cap-and-trade is the biggest socialist scam, totally discredited climate change industry and zero warming for over a decade. Zero warming for over a decade. Wait until I -- I don't want to say too much. Don't miss an episode.

In fact, 2000-2009 was warmest decade on record

2000-2009 was warmest decade on record. NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), The U.K. Met Office, and the World Meteorological Organisation have all stated that 2000-2009 was the warmest decade on record for the globe.

Scientific consensus behind human-driven climate change is intact

29 prominent scientists in the U.S.: “The body of evidence that human activity is the dominant cause of global warming is overwhelming.” In a December 4, 2009, letter to Congress, 29 prominent scientists, including 11 members of the National Academy of Sciences, stated: “The body of evidence that human activity is the dominant cause of global warming is overwhelming. The content of the stolen emails has no impact whatsoever on our overall understanding that human activity is driving dangerous levels of global warming.”

1,700 scientists in the United Kingdom: Global warming “is due primarily to human activities.” More than 1,700 scientists from the United Kingdom signed a statement responding “to the ongoing questioning of core climate science and methods.” The statement said: “We, members of the UK science community, have the utmost confidence in the observational evidence for global warming and the scientific basis for concluding that it is due primarily to human activities.”

American Association for the Advancement of Science: "[S]cientific evidence" shows “that global climate change [is] caused by human activities.” On December 4, 2009, the American Association for the Advancement of Science stated that it “has reaffirmed the position of its Board of Directors and the leaders of 18 respected organizations, who concluded based on multiple lines of scientific evidence that global climate change caused by human activities is now underway, and it is a growing threat to society.” The statement also said that “the illegal release of private emails stolen from the University of East Anglia should not cause policy-makers and the public to become confused about the scientific basis of global climate change.”