Why Scientists Agree on Climate Change
What scientific consensus really means.
Why Scientists Agree on Climate Change is designed to help learners build a clear, practical understanding of the topic—without drowning in jargon. We start by grounding the “why” and the “what”: the key definitions, the mental models you’ll keep using, and the context that makes the rest of climate learning click.
You’ll explore the big ideas that matter most: scientific method and attribution studies, consensus vs uncertainty, peer review, IPCC process basics. Instead of treating these as abstract concepts, the course connects them to everyday decisions and real-world examples so you can recognize them in news, workplace conversations, and the choices you make at home.
We also go deeper into: how to evaluate sources/misinformation. Along the way, you’ll practice translating complexity into simple explanations, so you can communicate confidently and spot common misconceptions before they trip you up.
By the end, you’ll be able to judge climate information sources more reliably and explain what scientific consensus actually means, and you’ll have a few concrete next steps to keep momentum going.
Course Lessons
How Climate Science Works
This lesson, “How Climate Science Works,” is a focused module within the course “Why Scientists Agree on Climate Change.” You’ll start by grounding the topic with observation, hypothesis, testing, and replication and multiple lines of evidence and cross-checking, so the core idea is clear before moving on. Next, the lesson connects the concept to practical context by exploring why science changes—but still converges on conclusions and what “peer review” actually means, using plain-language explanations and a supportive visual. You’ll also work through a real-world example that helps you apply the idea to everyday decisions or common climate conversations. By the end, you should be able to summarize the lesson’s main point in your own words and answer a short quiz that checks true understanding—not memorization.
The Evidence: What We Measure
This lesson, “The Evidence: What We Measure,” is a focused module within the course “Why Scientists Agree on Climate Change.” You’ll start by grounding the topic with thermometer records and satellite measurements and ocean heat content as a key indicator, so the core idea is clear before moving on. Next, the lesson connects the concept to practical context by exploring ice mass balance and sea level measurements and atmospheric composition (co₂ measurements) and trends, using plain-language explanations and a supportive visual. You’ll also work through a real-world example that helps you apply the idea to everyday decisions or common climate conversations. By the end, you should be able to summarize the lesson’s main point in your own words and answer a short quiz that checks true understanding—not memorization.
Attribution: How We Know Humans Contribute
This lesson, “Attribution: How We Know Humans Contribute,” is a focused module within the course “Why Scientists Agree on Climate Change.” You’ll start by grounding the topic with natural drivers vs. human drivers (overview) and “fingerprints” like stratospheric cooling and tropospheric warming, so the core idea is clear before moving on. Next, the lesson connects the concept to practical context by exploring climate models as controlled experiments (conceptual) and why correlation alone isn’t the argument, using plain-language explanations and a supportive visual. You’ll also work through a real-world example that helps you apply the idea to everyday decisions or common climate conversations. By the end, you should be able to summarize the lesson’s main point in your own words and answer a short quiz that checks true understanding—not memorization.
Uncertainty Doesn’t Mean Ignorance
This lesson, “Uncertainty Doesn’t Mean Ignorance,” is a focused module within the course “Why Scientists Agree on Climate Change.” You’ll start by grounding the topic with types of uncertainty (measurement vs. projection) and why ranges and confidence levels are used, so the core idea is clear before moving on. Next, the lesson connects the concept to practical context by exploring what scientists are most confident about and where uncertainty is larger (regional impacts, timing), using plain-language explanations and a supportive visual. You’ll also work through a real-world example that helps you apply the idea to everyday decisions or common climate conversations. By the end, you should be able to summarize the lesson’s main point in your own words and answer a short quiz that checks true understanding—not memorization.
Why Consensus Is Strong
This lesson, “Why Consensus Is Strong,” is a focused module within the course “Why Scientists Agree on Climate Change.” You’ll start by grounding the topic with what “scientific consensus” means in practice and role of assessments (e.g., synthesis reports) at a high level, so the core idea is clear before moving on. Next, the lesson connects the concept to practical context by exploring why cherry-picking studies misleads and how incentives and scrutiny work in science, using plain-language explanations and a supportive visual. You’ll also work through a real-world example that helps you apply the idea to everyday decisions or common climate conversations. By the end, you should be able to summarize the lesson’s main point in your own words and answer a short quiz that checks true understanding—not memorization.