What do you think? please min of 50 words no more than 80 words. This is not a paper but just a question.
In week 6 we learned about geological processes in regards to energy and the climate change debate. We had an interesting discussion about finding the right balance between protecting the environment and fueling – literally – our economy. It can be very tempting to oppose drilling for oil in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico or in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge to protect the environment and call for a greater reliance on renewable resources such as solar and wind power. . Before we place all our bets on wind and solar energy, we need to understand the need for backup systems for days with unfavorable weather conditions. Perhaps we need to invest more in nuclear power plants as they have much less impact on the environment, particularly a very small carbon footprint.
The global warming/climate change debate is perhaps the most controversial science topic of our time. The climate has always been going through cycles as evident from studies of sediment layers in the ocean, ice cores from Greenland and the Antarctic, tree rings, and more. The main issue of the debate is the human contribution to any current changes. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is charged with collecting and disseminating the scientific studies of anthropogenic climate change. The media has made it seem in the past there were equal amount of scientists that believe humans are making an impact on the climate. It is believed that the top-ranking scientists on the IPCC were conspiring to suppress data opposing their viewpoints. In 2011, U.S. funding was brought into question because of the concern of legitimacy. This brings us right back to the very first discussion we had in this class: Where can we go for unbiased information? Perhaps it is not possible to get unbiased information in this debate, but, at the least, we owe to ourselves and society to look at different viewpoints and form our own opinion. What do you think about the following Web sites as starting points to find other viewpoints, including peer-reviewed science paper on climate change: http://www.climatescienceinternational.org/ and http://iamoneinabillion.org , and http://earththeoperatorsmanual.com/ ?
For the society as a whole to participate in this debate, we need to be educated, so we can understand the arguments, evaluate the evidence presented, and reach our own conclusion. As future educators, you have a tremendous task before you.
“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)
What do you think?
