John Cook publishes Cranky Uncle vs. Climate Change

John Cook has published a new book on understanding and talking to those who don't accept the science of climate change. Cook is the founder of the website Skeptical Science and research assistant professor at the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University. CRANKY UNCLE vs. CLIMATE CHANGE: How to Understand and Respond to Climate Deniers blends Cook's knowledge of the cognitive science of denial with his skills as a cartoonist.

According to the book's website, CRANKY UNCLE vs. CLIMATE CHANGE includes: 

  • How climate change became so controversial –the unholy alliance between ideology and industry, the playbook of selling doubt, the characteristics and stages of science denial;
  • Denying reality – Thousands of warming indicators; shifting the goalposts on sea level rise; climate conspiracy on the temperature record, and the clear evidence of melting glaciers;
  • Denying responsibility – Myths downplaying the greenhouse effect, warnings from the past, how we’ve upset the natural balance; and how human fingerprints rule out the usual suspects;
  • Denying consequences – How climate change has an impact on nearly every aspect of society; the increasing damage from heatwaves and hurricanes; ocean acidification; how species can’t keep up with climate change; and how our food supply chain relies on balance;
  • Denying science – The consensus on climate change; distinguishing between weather and climate; traits of conspiracy theorists; stolen e-mails that shine a light on conspiratorial thinking, climate models’ reliable track records;
  • Responding to science denial – Can you change your cranky uncle’s mind? Breaking the silence of climate silence, and why it’s dangerous to ignore misinformation; what you say and do matters; spotting myths and fallacies in science denial thinking.

A Cranky Uncle smartphone game is also in the works.