Dickinson to Durban » Archive
Weather vs. Climate: What is the difference?
How can we reconcile the variability of weather with that of climate? How does our humanness restrict our thinking? I have been taking Environmental Studies courses for as long as I can remember; continually covered in class is the topic of Climate Change. The first lesson on Climate Change is always the difference between “weather” and “climate.” The distinction between the two always seems to be a common misconception for us humans. The general public has a tendency to believe that the terms weather and climate are interchangeable. In truth, they are quite different. Weather is defined by the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, etc. Climate, on the other hand, is defined as the composite of prevailing weather conditions in a region, throughout the year, averaged … Read entire article »
Filed under: Summer Reading Responses
Learning Democracy and Equality in Suppressed South Africa
How did Mandela’s childhood and education impact his political philosophy? Nelson Mandela is a prime example of a person who has always had the courage and strength to follow what he believes is right. Certain aspects of his political philosophy have never wavered no matter the time or date. The main focus is on the importance of democracy and equality among all South Africans as well as across the rest of the world. Looking back on his childhood, it is obvious that gradual changes throughout his life made Mr. Mandela who he is today. Even before he was old enough to understand, his father was a leading role model for his belief in equality and democracy. Mr. Mandela’s father was a chief but lost his chieftainship when a dispute arises between Mr. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Summer Reading Responses
Attacking Global Warming
What strategies have been used to promote doubt about climate change? Have they been effective? With what consequences? When ideas concerning global warming and climate change circulated during the mid 1900’s they were met with strong opposition from a handful of renowned physicists. These men tried several methods to merchandize doubt about the issue, all of which confused the public and the government and slowed the progress of policy making. In 1989 Bill Nierenberg, Robert Jastrow and Frederick Seitz (As part of the Marshall Institute) began to attack global warming. Their first strategy was to relocate the blame from fossil fuels to the sun. They wrote a small book called “Global Warming: What Does the Science Tell Us?,” in which they picked and organized data to their liking, and presented it to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Summer Reading Responses
Evidence of Anthropogenic Warming
Referring to figure 3 on page 182 in Weart, how would you argue that we have entered a time of anthropogenic warming? If you had been living in the 16th to 19th centuries and had the data of figure 3 to that point in time how would you argue the possibility of climate change? Extrapolating a story from climate change data is difficult because there is a great deal of variability involved. Weather and temperature change constantly so exact numbers often fade to averages and estimates. The further back in history one explores, the more uncertainty there will be simply because of less technology and attention paid to the subject. However, through ice, pollen, soil, and fossil samples, scientists have pieced together the story of earth’s climate. The graph on page … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Summer Reading Responses
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