LoginIs the greenhouse effect still debated among climate scientists?
Wisconsin Watch partners withΒ GigafactΒ to produce fact briefs β bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
No.
There has been broad agreement about the greenhouse effect for over a century.
In 1824, Joseph Fourier calculated that Earth ought to be much colder given its distance from the sun, and theorized that the atmosphere acts as a blanket, trapping heat and keeping the planet warmer than it would be otherwise.
Scientists later hypothesized that higher concentrations of greenhouse gases could raise temperatures. In 1896, Svante Arrhenius attempted to quantify this; his predictions remain on the high end of current climate models.
The basic science of the greenhouse effect is fairly simple: certain atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide trap and redirect outgoing heat; some is radiated back downward, causing heat build up and temperatures to rise.
In 2021, the IPCC concluded it is unequivocal that human emission of greenhouse gases are the primary cause of modern warming.
See a full discussion of this at Skeptical Science
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such asΒ this one.
Sources
- IPCCΒ Sixth Assessment Report
- Scientific AmericanΒ The Discovery of Global Warming
- UCARΒ The History of Climate Science Research
- NOAAΒ How do we know the build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is caused by humans?
- Environmental Research LettersΒ Consensus on consensus: a synthesis of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming
- The ConversationΒ Lost in translation: confidence and certainty in climate science
- EPAΒ Causes of Climate Change
Is the greenhouse effect still debated among climate scientists? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
