When did people turn their backs on science? What has led to widespread scepticism and a growing tendency to challenge the methods of scientific inquiry? Who is to blame for the situation? The public, who find conspiracy theories more satisfying than scientific facts? Or the scientists, who – focused on ever more complex data, models and charts – have failed to convince the society that we’re all part of the growing civilisation of knowledge? Or is it, perhaps, that scepticism towards science actually stimulates progress? After all, the Greek word “skeptikos” meant someone “inquiring” and “reflective”, who might have well been dissatisfied, but spared no effort to find the truth.
Read more Six scientific responses to climate-related myths.
The Arctic is generally associated with a cold, extreme climate. We all know that temperatures up there differ tremendously from those typical of Europe. While in Poland it is not uncommon for summer temperatures to reach 30°C, in Northern Canada they usually hover around 8–10°C. In winter, the Polish norm is about -5°C, while in Greenland even -40°C raises no eyebrows. In recent years, however, the contrast is gradually becoming less striking. Although climate changes affect the entire globe, nowhere are they as dramatic as on its northern outskirts. The Arctic is warming up faster than the rest of the world, which has long caused serious concern among scientists. Let us therefore have a closer look at the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon and its possible consequences.
Read more Polar circle or vicious circle? A few facts about Arctic amplification.
