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Harvey JA, van den Berg D, Ellers J, et al. Internet Blogs, Polar Bears, and Climate-Change Denial by Proxy. Bioscience. 2017;68(4):281-287doi: 10.1093/biosci/bix133.
Harvey, J. A., van den Berg, D., Ellers, J., Kampen, R., Crowther, T. W., Roessingh, P., Verheggen, B., Nuijten, R. J. M., Post, E., Lewandowsky, S., Stirling, I., Balgopal, M., Amstrup, S. C., & Mann, M. E. (2018). Internet Blogs, Polar Bears, and Climate-Change Denial by Proxy. Bioscience, 68(4), 281-287. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix133
Harvey, Jeffrey A, et al. "Internet Blogs, Polar Bears, and Climate-Change Denial by Proxy." Bioscience vol. 68,4 (2018): 281-287. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix133
Harvey JA, van den Berg D, Ellers J, Kampen R, Crowther TW, Roessingh P, Verheggen B, Nuijten RJM, Post E, Lewandowsky S, Stirling I, Balgopal M, Amstrup SC, Mann ME. Internet Blogs, Polar Bears, and Climate-Change Denial by Proxy. Bioscience. 2018 Apr 01;68(4):281-287. doi: 10.1093/biosci/bix133. Epub 2017 Nov 29. PMID: 29662248; PMCID: PMC5894087.
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Bioscience. 2018 Apr 01;68(4):281-287. doi: 10.1093/biosci/bix133. Epub 2017 Nov 29.

Internet Blogs, Polar Bears, and Climate-Change Denial by Proxy.

Bioscience

Jeffrey A Harvey, Daphne van den Berg, Jacintha Ellers, Remko Kampen, Thomas W Crowther, Peter Roessingh, Bart Verheggen, Rascha J M Nuijten, Eric Post, Stephan Lewandowsky, Ian Stirling, Meena Balgopal, Steven C Amstrup, Michael E Mann

Affiliations

  1. Department of Terrestrial Ecology at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, in Wageningen. JAH.
  2. Department of Ecological Sciences-Animal Ecology at the VU University Amsterdam, in The Netherlands.
  3. Works in Gouda, the Netherlands.
  4. Department of Terrestrial Ecology at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, in Wageningen, and with the Institute of Integrative Biology, in Zürich, Switzerland.
  5. Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics at the University of Amsterdam, in The Netherlands.
  6. Amsterdam University College, in The Netherlands.
  7. Department of Animal Ecology at Netherlands Institute of Ecology, in Wageningen.
  8. Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology at the University of California, Davis.
  9. School of Experimental Psychology and Cabot Institute at the University of Bristol, in the United Kingdom, and with CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
  10. Wildlife Research Division of Environment and Climate Change Canada, and with the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada.
  11. Department of Biology at Colorado State University, in Fort Collins.
  12. Polar Bears International, in Bozeman, Montana, and with the Department of Zoology and Physiology at the University of Wyoming, in Laramie.
  13. Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Pennsylvania State University, in University Park.

PMID: 29662248 PMCID: PMC5894087 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/bix133

Abstract

Increasing surface temperatures, Arctic sea-ice loss, and other evidence of anthropogenic global warming (AGW) are acknowledged by every major scientific organization in the world. However, there is a wide gap between this broad scientific consensus and public opinion. Internet blogs have strongly contributed to this consensus gap by fomenting misunderstandings of AGW causes and consequences. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) have become a "poster species" for AGW, making them a target of those denying AGW evidence. Here, focusing on Arctic sea ice and polar bears, we show that blogs that deny or downplay AGW disregard the overwhelming scientific evidence of Arctic sea-ice loss and polar bear vulnerability. By denying the impacts of AGW on polar bears, bloggers aim to cast doubt on other established ecological consequences of AGW, aggravating the consensus gap. To counter misinformation and reduce this gap, scientists should directly engage the public in the media and blogosphere.

Keywords: advocacy; communication; contrarian; global warming; skeptic; social media

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