§-Quick questions
NSWInvestigating ScienceModule 7: Fact or Fallacy?
Quick questions on Climate denial and the scientific consensus: HSC Investigating Science Module 7
9short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the climate consensus?Show answer
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a UN body that synthesises climate science across thousands of papers every 5 to 7 years. Each assessment report is peer reviewed by hundreds of scientists and reviewed by governments. The Sixth Assessment Report (AR6, 2021 to 2023) concluded:
What is organised denial?Show answer
Denial of the climate consensus has been organised and funded primarily by fossil-fuel-related interests since the 1980s. Documented examples:
What are exxonMobil internal documents?Show answer
ExxonMobil scientists privately concluded that anthropogenic warming was real and serious. The company publicly funded denial campaigns through the 1990s and 2000s.
What are industry-funded think tanks?Show answer
The George C. Marshall Institute, Heartland Institute, and in Australia the Institute of Public Affairs have produced reports questioning climate science.
What are front organisations?Show answer
The Global Climate Coalition (1989 to 2002) opposed climate policy. Its industry funders later abandoned the body, but its rhetorical strategies persisted.
What is australian context?Show answer
The Murdoch press (especially The Australian) has consistently published columns questioning climate science. Both the Liberal-National Coalition and Labor have at various times responded to denial pressure by weakening policy.
What is q1?Show answer
Outline three independent lines of evidence supporting human-caused climate change. [3 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
A media article cites a single dissenting scientist to claim that climate change is exaggerated. Explain why this is a misleading use of expert opinion. [3 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
A class debates the role of organised denial in climate policy delay. (a) Define manufactured doubt. (b) Outline how cherry-picking can distort a long temperature record.