Are claims of scientific consensus about the causes of climate change overstated?
Between 90% and 100% of actively publishing climate scientists agree that climate change is human-caused, according to a 2016 analysis of six studies measuring the degree of consensus on the topic. The analysis established that the commonly used 97% consensus figure is "robust and consistent with other surveys of climate scientists and peer reviewed studies."
The authors refute challenges to the consensus by noting that “the level of consensus correlates with expertise in climate science.” Experts are defined as climate scientists currently publishing in the field. Non-experts include scientists in other fields and non-publishing climate scientists. The authors use the expert consensus level, reasoning that experts are the more qualified to judge.
The authors note that “manufactured doubt about the consensus…is one of the most effective means of reducing acceptance of climate change."