Numbers. When talking about decarbonization, there are lots of numbers. And they pertain to all aspects in the decarbonization journey - technology, the environment, economics, politics, culture, and regulation.

How do you know the numbers are accurate? How do you know if they are true? Who can you trust?  It's important to know where the data is coming from.

I do tend to be cautious.  I am leery of claims that do not share the data source of the claims.  For me, I tend to trust numbers from the EIA, NASA, EPA, and the NOAA. I also trust the data coming from the IEA, 

Note that I distinguish between a claim and data.  I may not always agree with a claim looking at the same data.  This is why the integrity of the underlying data is important to me.

So when I am reading something where numbers are presented, I tend to check the source of the data.  And if it is a source I am not familiar with, I’ll do a search on the source to learn more.