Are You Falling for These Common Climate Change Myths? (Video News)

"Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...the dead rising from the grave...human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!"—in Ghostbusters, the signs of coming catastrophe were easy to identify.

WATCH VIDEO: Are You Falling for These Common Climate Change Myths?

Today, skeptics continue to doubt the reality of a real impending catastrophe, climate change, even though signs both subtle and obvious have been radiating across the globe. Often, statements of denial are based on one of a number of common myths that continue to be perpetuated—unexplicably—in debates and media reports.

SLIDESHOW: Get Your Shovel, It's a Blizzard

Don't believe the hype, find out if you're falling for these common climate change myths:

1. It's too Cold Outside for the Planet to be Warming

Image credit: Hemera/Thinkstock

Winters can bring about exceptionally cold weather and snow. We can still expect to see record lows from time to time. But research shows that the record lows are increasingly few and far between and only half as common now as record highs. Furthermore, research has indicated that global warming could actually increase the likelyhood of major snowstorms.

Read more: Daily Show Calls Out Climate Deniers Over East Coast Storm Lies

2. Even scientists Can't Agree That Climate Change is Happening

Image credit: Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

There is an overwhelming consensus that climate change is happening as evidenced by the 2000 scientists who are linked with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Yes, there are contrarians. But a significant fraction of these are supported directly or indirectly by the fossil fuel industry.

Read more:
Consensus Matters: Don't Believe the Climate 'Skeptics'
97% of Scientists Still Agree: Man is Causing Climate Change

3. Warmer Weather is Nice and Better for Plants

Image credit: Corbis

Most don't realize that small changes in a global average can bring about huge effects. The last ice-age, was only about 5 degrees Celsius cooler than today. If that little cooling could result in such drastic effects, what could happen with a much more rapid shift in temperature is truly frightening.

Read more:
Greatest Global Warming Impact on Life in Tropics, Even Though Poles Have Higher Temperature Increase
Asian Rice Yields Drop As Climate Change Warms Nighttime Temperatures

4. Climate Change is Caused by Solar Radiation, not Human Activity

Image credit:

There are a number of factors that influence the temperature on the planet. According to IPCC findings, the warming effect due to increases of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is estimated to be more than 8 times greater than the effect of solar radiance changes.

5. Scientists Exaggerate Claims for More Funding

Image credit: Digital Vision/Getty Images

The funding for climate science is a pittance compared with funding to protect the fossil fuel industry. And if anything, the scientific community is too cautious. We need to examine the Worst Case Scenario where greenhouse gases destroy the ability of the atmosphere to support life as we know it.

Credits:
Blizzard ©Paul Katz/Thinkstock
Snow ©iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Searing heat ©Stephen Marks/Getty Images
Desertification ©Don Smith/Getty Images
IPCC © KEYSTONE/Laurent Gillieron/AP Photo
big oil company © AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file
thermostat ©Jeffrey Hammilton/Thinkstock
Ice Age ©DC Productions/Thinkstock
tsunami ©iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Solar radiation ©Comstock/Thinkstock
IPCC © AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini
Greenhouse gases © AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini
Poor scientist ©iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Rich oil exec ©iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Apocalyptic scenario ©iStockphoto/Thinkstock