Hang on. Is that true?

Question 1

“It rained today. So much for global warming.”

Accepted Answer

No. We need a pattern over many years. Weather happens over short periods. Climate describes longer-term patterns. A wet or cool day can happen in a warming climate.

Answer

Yes. Today’s weather is enough.

Question 2

“The sky is clear, so greenhouse gases must be gone.”

Accepted Answer

No. A clear view is not a CO₂ measurement. Clear skies do not mean the air is free of greenhouse gases. NOAA measures atmospheric CO₂ with instruments; visibility cannot tell you its concentration.

Answer

Yes. CO₂ would make the sky hazy.

Question 3

“El Niño is another name for human-caused climate change.”

Accepted Answer

No. El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern. El Niño involves the tropical Pacific Ocean and atmosphere. It can change rainfall and temperatures, but it is not another name for human-caused warming.

Answer

Yes. Two names for one process.

Question 4

“No ice melted. The ocean can’t have risen.”

Accepted Answer

Warming seawater expands. Thermal expansion is a major cause of global sea-level rise. Warming seawater takes up more space, even without extra water from melting land ice.

Answer

Nothing. Only melting ice can do that.

Question 5

“An ice cube is an ice cube. Location doesn’t matter.”

Accepted Answer

A land glacier melting and draining into the sea. Land ice adds water to the ocean. Floating ice already displaces water, so its direct effect is much smaller. Real seawater adds a wrinkle: melting floating freshwater ice can still cause a small rise because of density differences.

Answer

A floating iceberg melting where it is.

Question 6

“One year above 1.5°C means the long-term threshold is already crossed.”

Accepted Answer

The averaging period: one year is not a multi-decade climate average. WMO estimated 2024 at 1.55 ± 0.13°C above 1850–1900. Its 2024 report distinguished that annual result from warming averaged over decades. An annual exceedance is serious, but does not by itself establish the long-term threshold has been crossed.

Answer

Nothing. Annual and long-term warming are identical.

Question 7

“Glacier ice loss rose by 36%. So every glacier lost 36% more.”

Accepted Answer

Global average annual glacier mass loss across two periods. The GlaMBIE study compared 2000–2011 with 2012–2023: average annual glacier loss increased from about 231 to 314 billion tonnes. The 36% increase is an aggregate, not a result for every glacier. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets were excluded.

Answer

An identical change in every glacier on Earth.

Question 8

“The island is still on the map. Everyone must be fine.”

Accepted Answer

Yes. Water supplies, homes and infrastructure can be at risk. Land area alone cannot tell us whether an island is safe to live on. Flooding, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion can threaten homes and freshwater. Risks and adaptation options differ between islands.

Answer

No. Visible land means there is no climate risk.

Question 9

“The sea rises by exactly the same amount on every coast.”

Accepted Answer

No. Land movement and ocean conditions also matter. Local sea level is measured relative to the land. Sinking or rising land and regional ocean conditions can make local change differ from the global average. A global number is not a street-level flood forecast.

Answer

Yes. Every coast follows the same number.

Question 10

“The hourly PM₂.₅ number changed, so the 24-hour PSI must match it.”

Accepted Answer

No. They measure and summarise different things. One-hour PM₂.₅ is a particle concentration in µg/m³. PSI is an index computed from pollutant concentrations with specified averaging periods. They have different units and meanings; do not compare their raw numbers as if they were the same scale.

Answer

Yes. They are the same reading with different names.