We don’t normally celebrate birthdays here, but this one is worth a mention. Ten years ago, an Australian named John Cook decided to catalog denier myths for easy debunking after experiencing climate change skepticism in his own family. Not long after, he went public with the myth-busting and SkepticalScience.com was born.
To celebrate a decade of debunking, SKS contributor BaerbelW put together a year-by-year walkthrough of the site’s successes, and it’s an impressive showing of what a group of dedicated volunteers can accomplish. From the numbered database of Most Used Myths, to an iPhone and Android app that’s been downloaded tens of thousands of times, to a Guardian blog spin-off by two SKS contributors, to an open-source online class on countering climate denial, to a 97-hour event honoring scientists with fun cartoons, to the 97% consensus paper famously tweeted by Obama, and a consensus on the consensus follow-up, the SKS crew has been unquestionably instrumental in pushing back on denial.
Two of our favorite resources, which we come back to time and again and recommend for everyone new to the space, are the Debunking Handbook and the Escalator graphic. The handbook is short but incredibly informative, while the Escalator gif is the most clear and concise rebuttal to the “pause” one could ask for.
Unfortunately, they have not yet worked themselves into obsolescence because deniers are still all too common. With the Red Team ramping up, and silly pseudo-science still kicking around, denial’s showing no signs of disappearing. But hopefully before too long there won’t be a need for the continued debunkings, as the realities of clean energy disprove denier myths where it really counts.
So happy 10th birthday, Skeptical Science, and here’s to hoping there won’t be any need for another 10 more!
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