Modern Climate Change: Analysis of Denial and Delay
Despite overwhelming scientific consensus, and repeated warnings from scientists, about the rapid changes in the Earth system due in large part to human activities, response has been slow and half-hearted, particularly in the U.S. Why?
The American Denial of Global Warming, 58-minute presentation by Dr. Naomi Oreskes investigates reasons for the widespread mistrust and misunderstanding of scientific consensus and probes the history of organized campaigns designed to create public doubt and confusion about science (the tobacco industry makes a significant appearance).
Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, Merchants of Doubt (2010): Fully documented analysis similar to the above video, fleshed out to include obfuscation of several major issues in addition to tobacco and climate.
10-minute interview w/Naomi Oreskes (Australian radio): Hits some of the major points in the book Merchants of Doubt (see above). Effective, but....read the book, too.
The Real Story of ClimateGate: Excellent, succinct play-by-play and discussion of the hacked e-mails and aftermath. Also see this fine 10-minute video analysis.
Greg Craven, What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2010). Compact, short book expands on the Wandering Mind video series by a geekily humorous high-school science teacher. Its goal is to guide how, not what, we think about climate change. Highly recommended.
Dan Gilbert: Global warming, twiddling our thumbs, and the human brain: Informative, entertaining 14-minute video
While Washington Slept, Mark Hertsgaard (2006). How a virtual certainty was labeled a "liberal hoax."
Ross Gelbspan, Boiling Point (2004). Early entry in the investigations of climate denialism.
James Hoggan, Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming (2007). Continuing the path blazed by Gelbspan, financial guy-turned-investigator Hoggan explicates the tactics and strategy of media-savvy and well-funded climate denialists.
An Inconvenient Assessment, Chris Mooney (2007). Infuriating exposé of the G.W. Bush administration's suppression of a federally commissioned report that was intended to clearly communicate climate science to the U.S. public. Unfortunately, I can't legally link to the PDF.
UCS analysis of Exxon funding targets (2007): "How ExxonMobil uses Big Tobacco’s tactics
to manufacture uncertainty on climate science" (PDF download).
The lag between temperature and atmospheric CO2 level (RealClimate discussion)