IPCC
Seeing the Forest for the Trees (Part II)
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Continued from Part I of Seeing the Forest for the Trees.
Last week I attended Dr. Peterson’s lecture, “Climate, Forests and Future: A View from Treeline” at the University of Washington as a part of the School of Forest Resources and the College of the Environment lecture series, Sustaining our Northwest World.
There were two subjects within the lecture that particularly caught my attention, the first being a number of actions that policy makers and environmental managers need to take into account when preparing for the effects of climate change. The second topic was a discussion on the very interaction of climate scientists and policy makers themselves and the effects on the issues at stake. He said that scientists as well as environmental managers need to take a keep a number of things in mind when responding to this climate crisis. › Continue reading
Seeing the Forest for the Trees (Part I)
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Last Thursday evening I attended the public lecture “Climate, Forests and Future: A View from Treeline” by Dr. Dave Peterson – forest service scientist, professor and co-nobel prize winner. He spoke at the University of Washington as a part of the School of Forest Resources and the College of the Environment lecture series, Sustaining our Northwest World.
Initially his talk focused on the ecological aspects of the local climate change impacts in the Pacific Northwest, such as a projected increase in mountain pine beetle population that has already caused havoc in British Columbia. The beetle infestation will result in an increase in surface fuel and eventual forest fires. Washington, Oregon and Idaho forests are already beginning to see these effects of climate change.
Dr. Peterson continued on to discuss two topics that particularly caught my interest, the first being how exactly to prepare and respond to the effects of a climate change that we are already experiencing? Because essentially, that is the point we have reached. We are already seeing and experiencing the local effects of increased green house gases in our atmosphere. Now, we need to recognize this and begin to focus on how best to react to those changes, effectively. It’s no longer a question of if… it’s a question of when and how.
He outlined a number of actions that every policy maker and environmental manager should take to heart at this point, particularly those in the forest service though they are applicable across the board. › Continue reading
The Climate Change Argument
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Last week I quite literally found myself in the middle of one of my favorite arguments, climate change.
Let me set the stage for you. We were at a public talk on astronomy; the lecture was going well, proving to be both informative and engaging, when the speaker threw out a passing comment questioning the legitimacy of climate change. At first the audience was a bit surprised at the seemingly off topic tangent, then one after another a number started questioning the logic behind the speaker’s claim. The conversation got pretty intense, and I have to admit, I was thrilled to listen to all the arguments defending the existence of climate change.
The speaker’s point seemed to be, at first, that while climate change was undeniably occurring it had yet to be fully proven that humanity was the cause. This assumption is something that is, frustratingly, encouraged by the media’s portrayal of climate change. In an attempt to create suspense and the dramatic conflict often needed to retain audience attention, journalists will present both sides of an argument as equally valid, even if – as in the case of climate change – one has far more scientific data supporting its claims. › Continue reading
