Dickinson to Durban » Archive
What’s a few degrees warmer?
When discussing global climate change invariably someone starts talking about the weather. Weather and climate are not the same. We can comment on changes in weather from day to day or year to year, but climate is much bigger. Climate is from decade to decade or century to century. Sometimes the weather changes and there is a particularly hot summer or mild winter, but that does not prove that climate change is occurring. Climate does not change from year to year like the weather does. The increase of the global temperature even just a few degrees will cause smaller ice sheets, extinction of animals and changes their habitat range, as well as more severe weather. Depending on one’s location this could mean a more brutal winter. Our humanness would lead … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Summer Reading Responses, Weather
Manipulators of Science
The process of science is one of questioning, testing, interpreting results, challenging findings, retesting, reviewing evidence and asking new questions. Are the activities of scientists who are said to be merchants of doubt about climate change different from what constitutes good scientific practice? In Merchants of Doubt, Oreskes and Conway expose the fact that ‘scientists’ such as Fred Singer and Fred Seitz are not really scientists at all. Yes, they challenge findings and constantly refuse to accept studies because they say they need to be retested, but their motives are not to further scientific knowledge for the betterment of people. Their sole objective is to make money by ensuring that the industries in which they invest and the organizations which fund their ‘research’ are not rejected by society as a result … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Summer Reading Responses
Resorting to Violence: Did the ANC have a choice?
Explain the reasons behind the creation of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). Do you think adopting violence as a method strengthened or weakened the anti-apartheid movement? Adopting violence as the movement’s revised strategy after almost fifty years of preaching nonviolent resistance was undoubtedly a complicated decision with immense ramifications. On one hand, the choice to use violence demonstrated to ANC supporters that nonviolence could not destroy Apartheid which is demoralizing. It showed that they were not strong and united enough to conquer violence without partaking in it. On the other hand, the ANC simply did not have a choice. They would not achieve their vision of a free state for all people without using more aggressive means to achieve it. Due to the force of the National Party, violence did strengthen the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Summer Reading Responses
Seeing is Believing
Although the scientific discovery of anthropogenic caused global warming has been accepted by the vast majority of the scientific community, there are some knowledge gaps which make climate change difficult for the average person to accept and believe. One of these confusions comes from the misunderstanding of the difference between climate and weather. It can be easy for someone to believe in global warming when there are record breaking heat waves in their town or state. At the same time, an unusually cold winter or bad blizzard can give skeptics the “proof” they need to say it doesn’t exist. However, these examples can neither prove, nor disprove, global warming. These seasonal variations are examples of weather, not climate. It is true that one aspect of climate change will mean greater variability … Read entire article »
Filed under: Summer Reading Responses
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