Project Idea

People currently are suffering from generational amnesia. The nature that we see such as Discovery Park or Yellowstone National Park is what our generation sees as nature. However, what was it really like a century ago before most of us even existed? New standards of nature have been made and people’s visions about what nature or the wild should really be like are morphing. For a project I want to find a way to explain to people what they now are missing out on and what future generations will be missing out on in their time. I was thinking about doing this by somehow having important facts of “what was once here” in a popular park setting. The facts would somehow have to be eye catching and something that people will want to stop to read, engage in and begin to learn what our generation needs to do in order to slow the ever increasing loss of our healthy environment.

-Danica

Global Warming and the Public Sphere

Global climate change and/or global warming is a problem. Svante Arrhenius along with a few other scientists discovered the “greenhouse effect.” This concept of earth’s self warming is important to understand. Because of an increase in CO2 and other gases, more outgoing infrared rays(warming radiation) are blocked thus leading to more infrared radiation being sent back down to earth’s surface. However, this concept becomes complicated because there are so many other factors that could be leading to climate change such as sun spots or orbital patterns. The good thing is that as time as passed this concept has become more socially accepted as a problem. The media has helped spread information about what it is and why it is happening. Communication is important to risk perception. There is a large number of people who are still are unsure about global climate change due to conflicting information. An agreement needs to be made explaining that a large causation factor is due to anthropocentric activities such as CO2 emissions. The public realm needs to clearly understand the problem before there will be efforts made to do something about it.

-Danica

Project Idea

The more educated I become, the more I begin to realize how incredibly important quality education is to a healthily functioning society. Ecological literacy, or the understanding of the human connection to, as well as place within, the natural world, is a quality that I feel is largely missing from our society today. For my project, I’m considering designing an ecological literacy lesson plan that could be taught to elementary-age children. I know that organizations like the Dream Project already have teaching programs with similar aims, so maybe I could interview someone from that organization. I might also attend Islandwood’s “Enviropalooza,” which is a program aimed towards both children and adults in celebration of National Environmental Education Week. It might prove to be a beneficial experience towards my final project, as it directly pertains to environmental education.

Enviropalooza website: http://islandwood.org/events/calendar/enviropaloozaschedule

-Mollie

GWPS Response

I really liked the Global Warming in the Public Sphere article. I felt it gave a very informative summary of environmental communications in the last century or so. I decided to focus on the "discussion" section, which basically (well, in part) summarized the rest of the article, because I had a hard time choosing any specific part of the article to talk about. This way, I didn't have to! Anyway, I thought the analysis on the complex relations between science and the public sphere were very solid. Studying and understanding this relationship is absolutely essential to any success in ameliorating climate change, as it is social issue that can really only be understood through science. As the article states, communication between scientists and the general public is almost always an immensely confusing affair. The article's description of the public perception of a scientific debate about global warming nicely exemplifies how skewed media interpretation of anything science-related can become. Although I thought the article was really helpful, I can't say that I was entirely sure what the author's were trying to argue. The thesis, I gander, was as follows: “The insights provided by this article suggest that social research on global environmental change can move beyond descriptive and explanatory objectives to take a more practical and proactive role.” I agree with this statement, I think that studying how environmental communication functions in society is essential to preventing the immense difficulties that will undoubtedly result from a changing climate. I'm just not sure how, exactly, the author's are suggesting for social research to "move beyond descriptive and explanatory objectives to take a more practical and proactive role," when most of what I got out of the article was descriptive and explanatory information, rather than proactive recommendations.

-Mollie

possible project idea

I am very interested in climate change so I want to attend this book signing and talk by Anna Lappe who is the author of the book “Diet for a Hot Planet.” There is a book talk and discussion at 2:00pm on Saturday April 17, 2010 that I will be attending if it gets approved for this class. Basically the book connects the way we eat to global warming. I have not read the book, but I think that I will understand what is going on since I’m pretty sure she will be discussing the major things during the talk. This event is at the Elliot Bay Book Company on Capitol Hill. Here is the link to the flyer just in case anyone else is interested.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/28750309/Elliot-Bay-Flyer
-Tiara

climate change

-One article that I found was on MSNBC News. Basically the temperatures in the Arctic are increasing which is linked to the deaths of various species of birds. What happens is that due to the climate warming the snow and ice starts to melt which then causes avalanches. Many birds in the Arctic rely on the cliffs to nest. When these avalanches occur not only do the nests get destroyed, but opportunities for reproduction become scarce and many birds stay on the cliffs and end up dying due to the avalanches occurring at the places they were nesting. The birds that are affected, but do not die from the avalanches are often suffering a wing injury. Another cause for these birds deaths are mosquitoes. As the weather becomes warmer, it becomes easier for mosquitoes to multiply. The mosquitoes often attack the birds’ feet which eventually leads to death. I think that this is an important article because it shows how the climate changes affects animals and the dangers of the continuous warming climate. With increasing temperatures, many animals suffer. In this case, many different species of birds are dying which in the future could cause them to go extinct. It is important to recognize how our changing climate affects our world.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36202287/ns/technology_and_science-science/
-Tiara

Where'd all the Glaciers Go?

I found this article in the Everett Herald on two glaciers that have almost completely melted in Glacier National Park in Montana. They have shrunk more then 55% since the 1960's and will continue as long as the planet keeps warming. This results in less water in streams and rivers, which has proven harmful to salmon runs and water levels. This is a list of the glaciers affected "...more than 90 percent of glaciers worldwide are in retreat, with major losses already seen across much of Alaska, the Alps, the Andes and numerous other ranges, according to researchers in the United States and Europe" (Herald). Glacier's are extremely important to the surrounding biomes and for the biodiversity of streams, rivers, lakes that are around glacier's. It's amazing how much we depend on glaciers and water runs.


The story can be found at:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100408/NEWS02/704089929


-Mary Jane-

The Dream Project

Along the lines of what Atusa was saying, maybe we could partner up with the UW dream project. They do outreach to some local high schools. Maybe it would be possible to add and climate change aspect to the outreach. "The program's dual-focus approach strives not only to help these high school students, but also to teach UW students about important social issues through a unique, hands-on experience". How about teaching the UW students about social justice and Environmental justice? I know the professor who is teaching it. It could be a possible interview/final project.

This is the Dream Project website

http://depts.washington.edu/uwdrmprj/

The professors name is Stan E Chericoff

Blaise

Environmentalism

I always thought that the most important thing Environmentalism could do as a social movement was expose how capitalism and our current economic thinking wreaks havoc on our environment. Given finite resources, it is impossible to have an indefinite one to two percent growth of GDP. It is an unhappy thought to think, but one day we will have to bite the bullet. I think Environmentalism is meant to show us that we need to switch our thinking of what is progress and what is really decline. I also think that it is strange that activists and scientists get distracted by other problems with the climate. For example things like acid rain and CFC's. These things could have been really damaging but we intervened and created legislation to mitigate them; but we some how are not able to produce the same results with climate change.

-Blaise

Final Project Idea

I talked with two members of the class from the other groups and we were thinking of collaborating to make a lesson plan for elementary level children. We want to inform then/quiz them on their knowledge of the environment, global warming, etc. Also, we would do a little project with them that they could display in their class or take home. I think it is really important to educate children about their carbon footprint as soon as possible so that they can grow up with the knowledge of how to be environmentally friendly citizens.

I found this site which I think could be very helpful resource in creating our lesson plan: http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/index.cfm

-Atusa Rezaee

World War II = Helpful?

While reading section 3 of “Global Warming in the Public Sphere” by Corfee-Morlot, et al., I was taken aback by a certain discovery. I consider myself to be well informed on a number of environmental issues but was completely surprised by how large of a role World War II played in the unveiling of the radiative properties of CO2 in the atmosphere. I had never heard of World War II’s technologies and wartime advances having such an impact on the original research of greenhouse gases. I found it ironic at how destructive wartime interests such as the use of weather modification as a strategic weapon for geopolitical warfare could possibly have a positive outcome in helping to advance the unveiling of the harmful effects of CO2 on our atmosphere. The technology that was meant to cause harm and wreckage actually opened up scientist’s eyes to a huge issue that we have come to know as global warming.

-Atusa Rezaee