What the Hockey Stick missed about climate change | Summary and Q&A
TL;DR
The hockey stick graph, representing the Earth's average surface temperature over the past 1000 years, has been updated and validated through new research.
Key Insights
- 💋 The hockey stick graph, representing the Earth's temperature over the past 1000 years, has been a subject of controversy and criticism.
- 😋 Proxy measurements, such as tree rings, were used to estimate past temperatures and create the graph.
- 🫢 The hockey stick graph shows a significant increase in global temperatures during the industrial revolution, attributed to human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.
- 💋 Independent studies and recent research have validated the hockey stick graph's shape and confirmed the unprecedented nature of modern climate change.
Transcript
this is quite possibly the most controversial graph in the history of science and last month it got one hell of an update thanks to curiosity stream and nebula for sponsoring this video this is the so-called hockey stick a graph of the past 1000 years of the earth's average surface temperature created in 1999 by scientists raymond bradley malcolm h... Read More
Questions & Answers
Q: How was the hockey stick graph created?
The hockey stick graph was created using proxy measurements, such as tree rings, to estimate temperatures before actual temperature recordings were available. The thickness of tree rings correlated with past temperatures.
Q: Was the hockey stick graph challenged by other scientists?
Yes, there was a controversy surrounding the hockey stick graph, with claims that the handle should have been curvier, suggesting a warmer period centuries ago. This led to the "climategate" scandal and multiple legal cases.
Q: Have subsequent studies verified the hockey stick graph's validity?
Yes, numerous independent studies have since validated the shape of the hockey stick graph, confirming the rapid increase in global temperatures during the industrial revolution.
Q: What does the latest research on the hockey stick graph reveal?
The latest research expands the timeline of the hockey stick graph to 24,000 years, showing the Earth coming out of the last ice age. It also highlights that modern human-induced climate change is pushing the Earth's climate to unprecedented levels.
Summary & Key Takeaways
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The hockey stick graph was created using proxy measurements to estimate temperatures before accurate record-keeping. Proxies like tree rings were used to determine past temperatures.
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The graph shows consistent temperatures until the industrial revolution when human-induced greenhouse gas emissions caused a rapid increase in global warming.
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Initially criticized, independent studies have verified the hockey stick graph's shape, and recent research has further validated it, showing that the Earth's temperature has stayed relatively consistent in the last 5000 years.