Controversy

Anything as important, challenging and complicated as climate change is bound to attract a great deal of discussion and disagreement. 

The media and newspapers often present stories about climate change in a sensational and emotive way and some high profile TV documentaries and books have questioned the influence of humans on the climate. At best, these live debates, attention-grabbing headlines and ‘climate scandals’ often leave the general public feeling that scientists don’t agree. At worst, they force people to switch off and lose interest in this important global issue.

The reality is that there is an unprecedented consensus among world scientists that global warming is caused by human activity (known as anthropogenic climate change). Yes, scientists are still in disagreement about exactly what the impacts will be but the main body of evidence for climate change is widely accepted by the scientific community.

In this section, we look into the controversies surrounding climate change including 'Climategate', the 'Hockey Stick' debate and criticism of the IPCC. This section also explores the influence of climate critics and the impact they have had on public opinion. Collectively these issues highlight the importance of developing informed views based on established scientific evidence.

Windfarms too have generated controversial debate along with the Beauly-Denny powerline, recently given the go-ahead by the Scottish Government. These developments continue to face significant challenges, even as they come online and become a feature of the Scottish landscape.