Posted by
Steve on Saturday, November 17, 2007 10:34:30 AM
In the Arizona Republic today, there was another in a long series of articles on how global warming is going to destroy us all. This one was about how the oceans are being destroyed by global warming.
I for one am getting tired of the constant drum beat of political alarmism disguised as science. At work this week, my supervisor sent around a memo asking if we should purchase some videos. The videos are about how global warming is destroying our oceans and our environment. Most of the other teachers in the department were chiming in with this is a good investment. I sent back a message that we do not need political alarmism disguised as science in our classrooms. I expect that we will purchase the videos because as an adjunct, I have little or no say in what the department purchases. My comment may have permanently eliminated my chance at a full-time position. I felt it was more important to be true to the truth than to worry about a full-time position that will probably never materialize anyway.
In my mind, science classrooms should be where we teach science. We should leave politics at the classroom door. Global warming and its many myths is a political discussion. It has nothing to do with science. It uses scientific terms and ideas to disguise the political discussion, but it is still politics. If global warming politics is ok to discuss in classrooms, should we also talk about the person most responsible for the increase in health care costs in the last 30 years? That is also a political discussion. It is probably more a political discussion as that person is now running for President as a Democrat. He could never win as a Republican. I do not discuss it because he is better than the Democrat’s main alternative.
The science of global warming is decided. There is no scientific evidence that global warming is as bad as global warming believers say. There is no evidence that global warming is caused by man. There is lots of scientific evidence that proves that global warming is caused by the sun. That is a big surprise.
I know I am not going to win the argument on my campus. I do not have any clout. But, it really grieves my heart to have students come through my college and have students taught lies as truth. When I taught one course that teach about the environment, I taught that global warming was not true. My students were amazed. They had never heard that global warming was not caused by man. They kept asking me to prove my points. When I came up with scientific evidence to back my statements, they started to believe. I cannot say I truly helped any change their minds, but they may question believers in the future. My current course is one where we only talk about the human body. I have no opportunity to discuss global warming.
I do think I will talk to my department chairperson about those videos. I will ask her if we should be teaching politics in the classroom. She will of course say no. I will say that the videos show a political view of what some believe may happen. They do not show the scientific view of what may happen. Science is a black or white field. Global warming operates in the various shades of gray. One scientist said that science does not operate with a consensus. One scientist with the truth holds more power than thousands without the truth. That was true with Galileo. It is true today. It does not matter how many scientists say that black is white. If you can prove that black is black, you are right and they are wrong. There are numerous scientists that say that global warming is a myth. They tend to be people who no longer need funding from the government to live. That is the case because if you do not say you believe in global warming, you do not get funding.