Thursday, April 29, 2010

Climate Change -- Past, Present, and Future


In light of the publishing of their new book, the authors of Climate Change -- Past, Present & Future: A Very Short Guide gave a lecture this past Saturday, April 25th, outlining the key points they hoped to make by publishing this work.

According to Dr. Warren Allmon, one of the three authors of this publication, the book was written for two reasons: First, so that the museum had a physical product to give to people interested in or curious about climate change, and secondly, because they believe that climate change “is the most important topic of the 21st century. It is something we really should be thinking about.”

Dr. Robert M. Ross, another of the authors of Climate Change -- Past, Present & Future: A Very Short Guide presented the team’s research on how to accurately analyze climate science by looking at the climate change of the past, as well as why it is important to study the phenomenon of global warming. “Global temperature is a very abstract concept to most people,” says Ross. It is difficult to grasp the concept of an average temperature over the entirety of the earth’s surface, he says. Scientists will oftentimes average the earth’s climate from multiple years and compare this data to that of years past. The purpose in doing this is to analyze trends in global climate in order to determine any abnormalities in the earth’s current conditions. It is important to know this information, says Ross, because climate change affects all life on earth.

A second key point of the publication, as presented by author Trisha A. Smrecak, is the effective teaching of climate change to youth and adults alike. According to Smrecak, there are a number of necessary steps that must be taken in classrooms in order to truly educate the American public about the importance of climate science.

First, it is important to engage students’ existing conceptions about climate and climate change. Everyone has preconceived notions, she says, that are based in science. It is important to address what people already know and move from there.

Secondly, it is important to teach science in science classrooms, not politics. “We can go so much further by understanding the science itself and letting people make their own inferences,” says Smrecak.

Also, it would be beneficial to teach climate change across the curriculum in schools to promote a higher understanding of the topic. Climate change can be incorporated into all areas of the science curriculum since it is steeped in scientific history and affects all facets of life on earth.

The book also suggests that being emotional or pessimistic about the topic of climate change works as a detriment to the cause of proper education on the topic. “People get sick and tired of hearing that everything is going to fall apart,” says Smrecak. “It is important to think about small, measurable goals that we can achieve.” It is more important when trying to motivate people to take action to focus on the small steps they can take than it is to focus on the big picture. People feel overwhelmed trying to fix everything at once.

Going off of this point, the book explains that it is important to highlight opportunities for youth to make a difference. Showing youth volunteer opportunities as well as future career opportunities empowers them to see that they can have an impact on the future of climate change.

Finally, says Smrecak, it is easier to teach students and community members about climate change if local, tangible examples are used. Since global climate change is such an abstract concept, it can be difficult for people to grasp. They may not always understand the severity of climate change if they have not directly experienced it. Instead, people respond better if they can see an example that affects their daily lives. Encouraging a community to take action is much easier if people can directly see the motivating factor behind their actions.

Allmon also addressed the audience on the issue of society not truly accepting the significance of climate change.

One key reason society in general tends to ignore the importance of climate change, says Allmon, is that we like to avoid bad news, and because of this we are often susceptible to listen solely to things we want to hear. “We actively turn off what we don’t want to think about,” says Allmon. “If we only listen to one point of view and that point of view happens to be uninformed, then it becomes a self-perpetuating cycle.”

Also an issue, says Allmon, is that as a society, we don’t like to accept science that is not backed by absolute data, not understanding that science is an ever-evolving process that rarely boasts a great deal of certainty. “One of the primary reasons for people not accepting that climate change is occurring,” says Allmon, “is that they don’t fundamentally understand how science works.” According to the book, people are reluctant to accept climate change because the science is not “certain.” Since the scientific data relating to climate change may be flawed to a certain extent, people are less willing to make dramatic changes to their everyday lives.

According to Allmon, however, “life is a cost-benefit analysis.” The costs of climate change research being wrong are gigantic, but the cost of going about business as usual and not taking any action if climate change research is correct, he ascertains, could be catastrophic.

Despite the depressing nature of the topic, Allmon states that the possibility for change does indeed exist. “There is no possibility of stopping global warming,” he says, “but reversing it is a possibility eventually. The only way out of this is education, and right now education is pretty slow.”

Climate Change -- Past, Present & Future: A Very Short Guide can be purchased for $15 at the Museum of the Earth’s gift shop or online by clicking here: Climate Change.

--Megan Davis, Ithaca College

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Celebrate Earth Day with the Museum of the Earth

Earth Day

Earth Day Programming
This Earth Day celebrate the planet with Museum of the Earth!

Saturday, April 17

Join us at Syracuse's Rosamond Gifford Zoo's Party for the Planet.

Thursday, April 22 - Noon
PRI's Trisha Smrecak will give a lecture "Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future" at TC3 in Dryden, NY.

Thursday, April 22 - 6 p.m. reception, 6:30 p.m. lecture
An evening lecture at the Museum of the Earth entitled "The Revolution in Sustainability Education" by Peter Bardaglio, senior fellow at Second Nature, a non-profit committed to the promotion of sustainability in higher education. Tickets $10. Learn more by visiting our website.

Saturday, April 24 - 10 a.m. to Noon
Earth centric activities for the whole family at the Museum of the Earth

Satruday, April 24 - Noon
A special Natural History at Noon lecture in the Museum Classroom given by PRI's Warren Allmon, Rob Ross, and Trisha Smrecak, authors of the new book Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future. The book will be available for purchase and a book signing will occur after the talk.

All Earth Day events at the Museum of the Earth are made possible by the continued generosity of Wegmans!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Climate Change -- Past, Present, and Future


PRI Publications is very excited to announce that our newest publication, Climate Change - Past, Present, and Future: A Very Short Guide, will be hitting book shelves on Earth Day, April 22!

Climate change will likely be the major environmental – and perhaps economic and social – issue of the twenty-first century. It is controversial, confusing, and hugely important. Intended for students, teachers, and general readers, this book is a concise, user-friendly handbook that addresses the major features of the science behind this very complex topic. The authors explain – clearly and with a minimum of jargon – the basis for the three central conclusions of modern climate science: that the Earth is warming, that humans are mainly responsible, and that these changes will be extremely challenging for humans to deal with.

“This splendid little guide to understanding climate change has all the key ingredients: the science, how science works, and the implications .... and belongs in every household and every classroom. It should be required reading reference material for a responsible citizenry.”
- Thomas E. Lovejoy, Biodiversity Chair, The Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment

Climate Change – Past, Present, and Future: a Very Short Guide, by Warren D. Allmon, Trisha A. Smrecak, and Robert M. Ross. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York, special publication no. 38, 200 pp., ISBN 978-0-87710-491-9, $15.00 (softcover). Available April 22, 2010. Order online at Museum of the Earth, or email publications@museumoftheearth.org.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Did You Know?

This week is the National Environmental Education Week (EE Week)! What a great thing. It really is important to celebrate the environment. EE Week is celebrated annually the week prior to Earth Day. Earth Day is celebrated around the world on April 22. What are your plans?

Here's what's happening at the Museum of the Earth:

Earth Day

Earth Day Programming
This Earth Day celebrate the planet with Museum of the Earth!

Saturday, April 17

Join us at Syracuse's Rosamond Gifford Zoo's Party for the Planet.

Thursday, April 22 - Noon
PRI's Trisha Smrecak will give a lecture "Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future" at TC3 in Dryden, NY.

Thursday, April 22 - 6 p.m. reception, 6:30 p.m. lecture
An evening lecture at the Museum of the Earth entitled "The Revolution in Sustainability Education" by Peter Bardaglio, senior fellow at Second Nature, a non-profit committed to the promotion of sustainability in higher education. Tickets $10. Learn more by visiting our website.

Saturday, April 24 - 10 a.m. to Noon
Earth centric activities for the whole family at the Museum of the Earth

Satruday, April 24 - Noon
A special Natural History at Noon lecture in the Museum Classroom given by PRI's Warren Allmon, Rob Ross, and Trisha Smrecak, authors of the new book Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future. The book will be available for purchase and a book signing will occur after the talk.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

A Trip to a Marcellus Outcrop with Sara Auer...

It's important as staff members of PRI to make sure we get out into the field. In light of all the attention on the Marcellus hydrofracture horizontal drilling debate I've been trying to learn about the geology of the Marcellus Shale. Yesterday I finally got to see it for myself at the Seneca Stone Quarry (with prior permission of course). The Seneca Quarry is a very interesting mix of limestone, sandstone, shale, and even an ash layer here and there from pre-historic volcanic eruptions. The Marcellus Shale sticks out with its striking black coloring, which is due to its high organic content. The shale has many color gradations from lighter-less carbon rich to dark black bands. Some of pieces of the shale that I picked up even had lenses of pyrite or fools gold inside. For me at least, I can read all the geology papers in the world but they don't sink in until I can actually touch what it is I'm reading about. Here's a few pictures so you can see what I saw!

Me at an outcrop of the Marcellus Shale


A view of the Seneca Stone Quarry.
Marcellus shale is visible in the foreground while the wall in the background is limestone.


Marcellus Shale-up close and personal with a rock hammer for scale.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Earth Day Celebrations


Earth Day

Earth Day Programming
This Earth Day celebrate the planet with Museum of the Earth!

Saturday, April 17

Join us at Syracuse's Rosamond Gifford Zoo's Party for the Planet.

Thursday, April 22 - Noon
PRI's Trisha Smrecak will give a lecture "Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future" at TC3 in Dryden, NY.

Thursday, April 22 - 6 p.m. reception, 6:30 p.m. lecture
An evening lecture at the Museum of the Earth entitled "The Revolution in Sustainability Education" by Peter Bardaglio, senior fellow at Second Nature, a non-profit committed to the promotion of sustainability in higher education. Tickets $10. Learn more by visiting our website.

Saturday, April 24 - 10 a.m. to Noon
Earth centric activities for the whole family at the Museum of the Earth

Satruday, April 24 - Noon
A special Natural History at Noon lecture in the Museum Classroom given by PRI's Warren Allmon, Rob Ross, and Trisha Smrecak, authors of the new book Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future. The book will be available for purchase and a book signing will occur after the talk.