iPhone App for Telling a Climate Skeptic They're Wrong

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Australian solar physicist John Cook of Skeptical Science has created a nifty little iPhone app that includes numerous climate skeptic arguments as well as the science-based counterarguments to those (since we are all tired of the misinformed myths about climate science but normally can’t cite scientific articles and data off the top of our head).

When you turn on the Skeptical Science iPhone app, you can see 10 of the most common misinformed climate skeptic arguments as well as scientific responses to those. You can also search through 3 main categories: “It’s not happening“, “It’s not us“, and “It’s not bad” to find more claims and the scientific counterarguments.

So far, there are 90 climate skeptic arguments included and, of course, the scientific responses to those. You can see graphs and links to scientific papers or other sources in there as well.

In his own blog post about the app, Cook wrote, “This is a good idea for two reasons. Firstly, because now more than ever it’s imperative that the climate debate focuses on science so the more readily available the science, the better. Secondly, well, an iPhone app is pretty cool.”

If you hear a new argument not in the system, you can report it so that it can be added.

Of course, the anti-science climate skeptics don’t like this already. The Guardian reports:

Climate Realists, a site manned by sceptics such as weatherman Piers Corbyn, is already jumping up and down in horror at the news of the app’s release:

“WARNING! There is an iphone app trying to put down what we have to say under the heading of ‘Skeptical Science’. We need as many of you as possible to promote that this iphone app is yet another attempt to discredit ‘Climate Realists’. We can only hope the general public can see through this as a cheap trick to prop up the FAILED SCIENCE OF MAN MADE CLIMATE CHANGE. Climate Realists need another iphone app that shows our side of the argument as it is, rather then what a supporter AGW thinks it is! Please send this message to all known friendly sites that support our side.”

This call to arms appears to have worked as the first reviews on the iTunes app store are deeply negative. This is what the reviewer “GabesiPod” said:

“This is app from an AGW [anthropogenic global warming] supporter and just supports his views and NOT the views of SKEPTICS! I find that iPhone apps have mislead people, in that, the name of the product is NOT what it is claimed to be. This is a cheap trick to support the FAILED SCIENCE OF AGW, AND HAS NO SCIENTIFIC VALUE. This app should be withdrawn!”

Crazy, since the app links to real science, not assertions made without any real scientific backing.

Of course, we can’t hope for too much from the other side. As Jaymi Heimbuch of Treehugger pointed out, “When was the last time you heard someone from either side say, ‘Thank you for this information. Actually, I’d never thought of it like that before. I’m now prepared to change my mind on climate change.'”

Nonetheless, with such useful information, perhaps this could really help those who are a little confused over this matter. Additionally, the next time you are talking with someone who throws up a haphazard, uninformed statement on the science of climate change or global weirding, you can pull up a quick, well-informed answer to that claim.

via Treehugger

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