The Climate Debate: The Web

1. The Climate Debate:The Web Leigh, Rita, Geoff, Sandrina

2. Categories of the Web • Science Related websites: Skeptical and Non Skeptical • News Websites • Youtube • University Websites

3. Newscientist.com • Website that explores and interprets the results of human endeavor set in the context of society and culture. • Website contains archive of over 76,000 content pieces • Recognizes global warming as a problem • Articles blaming humans for Earth’s problems • “Climate change is with us” • States the world “the world needs to quickly improve the efficiency of its energy usage and develop renewable non-carbon fuels” • Propose that CO2 emissions need to be cut by 70% to 80% • www.newscientist.com Rita

4. Ucsusa.org • “Union of Concerned Scientists” • Under global warming science and impacts, lists numerous skeptical organizations • Including: Global Climate Coalition-The GCC is a powerful and well-funded force focused on obstructing meaningful efforts to mitigate climate change. • George Marshall Institute- A conservative think-tank that has published numerous articles downplaying the severity of global climate change. They believe the Kyoto Protocol is “fatally flawed”. • Greening Earth Society- Founded by Western Fuels Association. Believes that CO2 emissions are good for the planet and that coal is the best energy source humans have. • Science and Environmental Policy Project- founded by S. Fred Singer, a well-known skeptic. States that climate change won’t be bad for humans anyway. Believes action on climate change is not warranted because of shaky science and flawed policy approaches. • http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/global_warming_contrarians/global-warming-skeptic.html Rita

5. Global Warming in the News-USA Today • Has its own “greenhouse” section on the website devoted to discussing climate change and sustainability • “Your home, your world” theme • The “greenhouse community” is a place to learn and share ideas about greening your home. • Includes: news and insight about the latest green products, interviews with architects, builders and others who have tested clever ideas, and tours of homes that have successful green projects. • Also includes a forum where members can discuss green topics. • http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/index Rita

6. Climate Change on Youtube • Evidence of global climate change: Polar Bears International.org • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1cTrwymPvc • Video clip shows evidence of global warming. Narrator John Shier explains that Hudson Bay is freezing up to 3 weeks later each year due to climate change. Rita

7. The Ohio State University • Has a website dedicated to sustainability- based off OSU’s Institute for Energy and Environment • Mission is to advance “The Ohio State University's national role and success with solving the global energy issues while promoting environmental sustainability by expanding and coordinating our assets and outreach” • Creating a “Green Build Policy” that will set the bar for green design and construction. This policy governs the building process around campus, as each new building project strives to conserve resources and incorporate green design techniques • All copy paper is required to be at least thirty percent recycled content • OSU’s purchase of electricity includes 3.3 million kWh of green power which is the maximum permitted • http://iee.osu.edu/sustainability/ Rita

8. Geoff The American Thinker vs. The Department of Washington State Ecology • The American Thinker is a right wing online daily publication based in El Cerrito, California. • - The American Thinker was founded in May of 2005 by Thomas Lifson. • - The publication received special recognition by The New York Times for “initiating a public outcry over a California plan to require programmable thermostats which could be controlled by officials in the event of a power shortage.”

9. Geoff Where The American Thinker Stands on Global Climate Change • http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/11/global_warming_bring_it_on.html • Author Gregory Young cites “experts” such as: • Dr. Michael Griffen, NASA Administrator • John Coleman, Meteorologist • Anthony Watts, Meterologist

10. Geoff “American Thinker” continued “Let me assure you that we're not in good humor, nor take it kindly to be slurred and ridiculed by taking the other side in this debate.  And our numbers are still growing.  Indeed, we're angry that the vast majority of American Scientists will not be heard by the media.  We're dismayed over the fact that the Global Warming fiasco has become politically popular and expedient to those left-wing politicians and power-brokers whose sole aim is to literally tax everything with a carbon footprint and give them control over all life, hidden within their PC guileful pretence to save the planet.  They wish to save no one but themselves.” -American Thinker: “Global Warming? Bring It On!”

11. Geoff The Department of Washington State Ecology • DOWSE is the regulatory environmental agency of the state of Washington • Located in Lacey, Washington • The department director is appointed by the state Governor. • Created in 1970, after concerns over the environment began to rise in Washington.

12. Geoff Where DOWSE Stands on Climate Global Change http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/whatis.htm - The webpage answers particular questions pertaining to Climate Change, and acknowledges society’s involvement in the increase in ecological tensions within the past 50 years.

13. Geoff “DOWSE” continued • “There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming over the last 50 years is due to human activities. Ice cores taken from deep in ancient ice of Antarctica show that carbon dioxide levels are higher now than at any time in the past 650,000 years. More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere means warming temperatures. In its 2007 report to the United Nations There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming over the last 50 years is due to human activities.” - DOWSE

14. The Nature Conservancy • The leading Conservation Organization, working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters. • What they say about climate change: “Climate change is already affecting our lives and the places we live, and has the potential to dramatically impact the lives of future generations.” • They also say that : If we don’t act now, we will leave a much larger problem to our children. The good news is that, if we all join in to stop climate change, we can reduce its impact on our lives, on our environment and on future generations. • http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/ Leigh

15. Skeptical Science.com • The goal of Skeptical Science is to explain what peer reviewed science has to say about global warming. When you peruse the many arguments of global warming skeptics, a pattern emerges. Skeptic arguments tend to focus on narrow pieces of the puzzle while neglecting the broader picture. • For example, focus on Climategate emails neglects the full weight of scientific evidence for man-made global warming. Concentrating on a few growing glaciers ignores the world wide trend of accelerating glacier shrinkage. Claims of global cooling fail to realise the planet as a whole is still accumulating heat. This website presents the broader picture by explaining the peer reviewed scientific literature. • http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php Leigh

16. The New York Times • Article: “Is Climate Change Hysteria Bad for the Enviornment?” By Freakonomics • The Article says that A new study called “Apocalypse Soon?” by the psychologists Matthew Feinberg and Robb Willer ,finds that, for people who believe the world is fair, dire warnings about climate change may make them more skeptical about the concept. • http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/is-climate-change-hysteria-bad-for-the-environment/?scp=3&sq=climate%20change&st=cse Leigh

17. YouTube Clip • “Climate Change– The Scientific Debate” • A basic look at how climate scientists infer that man-made carbon gases are changing the climate, and how this view is contradicted by other climate scientists who are skeptics. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52KLGqDSAjo Leigh

18. Wright State University on Climate Change • Also has a section of the website dedicated to discussing the importance of sustainability. • Many events are shown on their website showing what students are doing to help the environment. • Photo on the left: Solar Panels on top of the WSUStudent Union. • http://www.wright.edu/sustainability/ Leigh

19. Treehugger“A Discovery Company” • Treehugger.com contains not only a large amount of climate change information, but a plethora of environment-related material all together, organized into these three categories: • Get Informed • Interact • Take Action • Contains great photo journalistic slideshows: • On “floating cities”: http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2011/02/12-post-apocalypse-floating-cities-and-homes-from-crazy-concepts-to-reality.php • On global warming related animal deaths: http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2011/01/shocking-mass-animal-deaths-around-the-world.php Sandrina

20. Skeptics Global Warming“The Global Warming Myth Refuted Weekdays” • Skepticsglobalwarming.com is a website consisting of articles which attempt to refute the climate change “craze”, suggested websites for skeptics, and a media browser of short videos. • The general claims are that global warming is a sort of media fad and that it is not a man-made phenomenon. • The founder of this website believes the main goal of the global warming theory to be increased government control and taxes. Sandrina

21. Washington State University • Contains over 490 articles and informative links on the topic of climate change • Displays predominantly highly credible, non-biased information • Many of the articles are under the news archives of the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSANR). Sandrina

22. Washington Post • Several categories for global warming related information: • Green: Science. Policy. Living. • In the Greenhouse: Confronting Climate Change • The Climate Agenda • The Planet Panel • The most recent archives contain 99 articles on climate change. • The first one listed (“Listing as ‘threatened’ sought for Arctic Seals”) embodies the issue of ice-dependant species, primarily the Arctic seal, becoming endangered due to shrinking sea ice in the Arctic region Sandrina

23. Youtube • Youtube holds an absolutely tremendous amount of videos having to do with climate change. • This one’s called “Polar Bears Discussing Global Warming” entered in the International One-Minute Film Festival in 2007: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zo7wTOdc_M Sandrina