Do mild days fuel climate change scepticism?

Why do so many people remain sceptical about climate change when the evidence for it seems so obvious? One recent study may offer an interesting clue, because American scientists stood the argument on its head and looked at places across the globe that will probably enjoy more pleasant weather with climate change.

For Britain, northern Europe and North America there will be more days of mild weather, defined as 18 to 30C, with low humidity and little rain – the sort of weather which by most people’s accounts would be most agreeable. Parts of southern England, for example, will get an extra 10 to 15 days of mild weather a year by the end of this century. It’s not entirely good news, because the mild days will tend to come in spring and autumn, while the summers will grow hotter and more humid.

Many tropical regions will get decreases in mild days thanks to rising heat and humidity, according to the study in the journal Climatic Change – hugely important as mild days help to break up heatwaves which exacerbate health and air pollution problems.

Some places are already enjoying noticeably milder days, and this may help explain some of the lingering scepticism about climate change. Opinion polls show that if people see their local climate growing more pleasant, that leads to more scepticism about climate change. After all, what’s all the fuss about rising temperatures if things feel fine in your own backyard?

To put it another way, people often trust the evidence of their own eyes rather than expert opinion. So, perhaps arguments about the climate need to be tailored for specific regions of the world.