A graphic at the upper right shows emissions from vehicles, houses, animals, and industries. A callout to the graphic reads, 97 percent of world’s leading climate scientists believe that greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activities, such as burning gasoline and coal, are driving the warming trend (Benestad et al., 2016).
A second callout to the graphic reads, Government officials consider human-caused climate change an “urgent and growing threat to our national security” and warn of higher temperatures, rising sea levels, floods, droughts, and other natural disasters—events that could threaten agricultural productivity, set the stage for new disease outbreaks, and trigger conflicts (U.S. Department of Defense, 2015, July 23, p. 3).
A quote at the middle of the infographic reads, “Yet many people are not too worried about global warming, perhaps because they don't grasp the severity of the problem: (American Psychological Association, 2015d).”
A graphic at the center left shows a black stick figure with a callout that reads, Global warming and other climate change events are not caused by humans. Another stick figure to the right shows two thought bubbles, which read, Where is this information coming from? and What kind of evidence supports it?. An arrow points down from this figure to an illustration of a head with a brain, labeled Critical Thinking in action. A list is connected to this brain from the left. The content is as follows:
A critical thinker: is skeptical; thinks deeply; evaluates claims using existing knowledge; asks questions; considers alternative explanations; reflects on own emotional reactions; tolerates uncertainty; is open-minded.
The brain illustration is connected to a list of five callouts at the right, next to an image of the earth with a thermometer containing liquids of different colors. The callouts and text from the top are as follows:
Go to the Source:
Ask Critical Questions
Who wrote the article? What is the professional background of the author(s)?
Where was it published? Is it peer-reviewed, open-source, or popular press?
What are the study’s findings? Do the findings support the hypothesis? Are there limitations cited? What other variables might have influenced the outcome?
What were the methods used to conduct the study? How big was the sample? How did researchers collect data?
Has the study been replicated? Have other studies reported the same results? Have other studies tried different samples?
A callout at the bottom of the infographic reads, Although you will develop your critical thinking skills in psychology class, they can be used in other contexts, from resolving everyday dilemmas, such as, “Why did I get such a mediocre grade after studying so hard?” to understanding global crises such as climate change.