Tag Archives: climate change

What is Science?

Cataclysmic Climate Change: Arctic Peoples’ Struggle to Cope

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When people think of the Arctic, they seldom think of the indigenous people living in the frozen tundra. But, in fact, these people do exist, and they are in great peril, according to a recent Al Jazeera article entitled, “Climate change threatens Arctic food security and culture.” This article describes how climate change is forcing previously adapted peoples to alter their way of life, to suit their rapidly changing environment. The author of this article cites mainly a UN report entitled, “Global Biodiversity Outlook 4.”

This article concludes that indigenous people in the Arctic are being seriously impacted by climate change.  Climate change has led to increased human activity in the Arctic, for fishing and fossil fuel development. Thus, it has becoming increasingly difficult to find sufficient food using traditional hunting methods, with unpredictable hunting seasons, and food sold in stores is too costly for the indigenous people to afford. As a result, food security has become major a problem.

This article assumes, first and foremost, that the reader believes that climate change is happening. While this is scientific fact at this point, there are still people who deny its existence. For this reason, it should be pointed out that the author assumes that the reader is abreast of the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change, and is too, on board with the idea.

As evidence, the author uses a convincing mix of first-hand accounts (interviews with village chiefs and people who are experiencing the trauma) and scientific evidence, like testimonies of Arctic scientists. The article itself is based on a UN report, and it uses the report’s findings as evidence. To supplement the ethos of the UN, the author also includes evidence from the World Wildlife Fund, Ocean Conservancy,  and the United States Arctic Research Commission. The author also includes the point of view of an Alaskan village chief, who testifies to the struggle of Arctic communities. I feel that the article is balanced: towards the end, it also includes the point of view of native people who have managed to adapt to the changes, though these are certainly not the majority. This melange of evidence is (on the whole)  scientific and convincing. I came away from the article with a definite sense of empathy for the Arctic peoples.

The conclusion is basically that climate change is affecting everyone, even at the far reaches of the globe. It is a serious, culture-endangering,  phenomenon. Whole civilizations are at stake, and so climate change must be taken seriously. It is beyond some abstract environmental concept: it is here, it is happening, and it is dangerous.

 

Link: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/10/8/melting-arctic-icethreatensfoodsecuritycultureofnorthernpeople.html

What is Science?

Human Emissions and Climate Change

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Extremely high and low temperatures have been plaguing people globally in recent times. The seemingly-endless winter in Northeastern US and the unbearable summer in Australia last year were enough to raise concern among the public about the climate reacting negatively to what most likely would be human activity. Events like the Climate March that took place a few weeks ago were examples of people spreading awareness and demanding action with hopes to work towards a solution to this problem.

Gillis discusses the statements that researchers have made regarding the link between human activity and climate change in “Scientists Trace Extreme Heat in Australia to Climate Change” in the New York Times. He describes how five groups of researchers studied retrospective data showing temperature changes between 2013 and 2014 and created computer models that show what the climate would have been like without human emissions. They have found that the human emissions throughout the years have caused accumulative changes in the atmosphere that made the heat waves more severe this year than they could have been. Climate scientist David Karoly from the University of Melbourne said that climate change is the definitive answer to the drastic rises in temperature. Although computer models are not always able to provide calculations and analyses that are accurate, Gillis mentions that similar results were widespread among different groups of scientists, which is why they were able to come to this conclusion.

In contrast, Gillis also explains how scientists were unable to make conclusions about the relationship between green house emissions and occurrences like droughts in California. While one group had found evidence supporting the negative effect of human activity of climate change in California, two groups were not able to make connections. Nevertheless, they were all able to agree on the fact that global warming can contribute to droughts by creating hotter climates in which waterfall evaporates. Dr. Myles B. Allen from Oxford University believes that scientists should not be quick to blame harsh climate changes on human activity, especially because there is not enough data to support this conclusion fully.

As Australia and several parts of Europe and Asia continue to experience extremely warm summers, the public is pushing researchers to work towards finding analyses that offer explanations. Climate change is also becoming a key issue in political debates as politicians either support action that regulates emissions or turn a blind eye to them. Gillis’ article is good in that it is inclusive of contrasting conclusions and the studies that that support them, making it informative in that they educate readers on different sides of the issue of global warming.

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