Global Climate Change Exam 1
What is "implicit denial"? Provide examples.
Acknowledge/accept something is happening but don't do anything about it. Plane driving to school in his SUV. Powell going to Hawaii with family. Me (insert roast about yourself)
Water vapor is the most powerful greenhouse gas in terms of its ability to retain heat in Earth's atmosphere. Why are humans not concerned about water vapor's possible contribution to global warming?
Because we are not inputting a lot more water vapor into the atmosphere. Small amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. Positive feedback loop - warmer more water in atmosphere warmer (Greenhouse) more water in atmosphere
How can ice core data be used to contextualize recent (anthropogenic) global warming? How does global warming today compare to natural warming during the past ~800,000 years?
CO2 has increased 150x faster in the past few decades than that of ancient CO2 increases. Temperature - modern warming is 6x faster than ancient warming.
Describe the "politics of consumption" of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
Carter- put solar panels on roof of White House, put on a sweater mentality. They hold back our oil? We'll reduce dependence on it. Look for oil at home, drill baby drill Reagan - ripped the solar panels off the roof. DEREGULATION George W. Bush -How do you support America after 9/11? Go shopping. Show you believe in the American economy Obama - efficiency, invested in solar Trump - let's use more fossil fuels
Describe the carbon dioxide emissions produced by the U.S. and by China in both absolute and per capita terms. How do these compare with emissions by other countries?
China produces more CO2 than the US, but more people live there. The US has much higher emissions per capita (per person). These are much higher than other countries, with US and China being the number one and two emissions producers in 2015.
What does Levin mean by Enviro-statism? How does the Levin chapter help you better understand the politics of climate change?
Environmental scientists/activists call for policy more policy, more regulation is bad! Sees science community as systematically and deiliberately distorting science Statist uses junk science, misrepresentations, fearmongering to promote public health and environmental scares because in true health emergency, the public expects the government to act aggressively to address the crisis, despite traditional limits on governmental authority. The more dire the threat, the more liberty people are usually willing to surrender, the government's authority because part of societal frame of reference only to be built upon during the next crisis Helps you understand how Republicans/denialists think that call for regulation is a ploy for power
Who is Eunice Newton Foote, and what was her contribution to climate science?
Eunice Newton Foote was a scientist who discover carbon dioxide was the principal greenhouse gas in 1856. However, probably because of her gender, she was not attributed with her discovery.
How can we know whether computer models that simulate Earth's climate are accurate? How can we use these models as evidence that human activities are the primary cause of global temperature increases?
First apply computer models to take past data and use on current data, to see if the current data matches up with the estimate of the computer's predictions. If they line up, you can use this model to predict the future. Climatologists can set the initial year of the model as some point in the past, and then allow the model to run forward from that point. This generates predictions over a time period for which we have actual measurements. If these agree, then the model is validated—that is, it is able to accurately predict true climate variation. This increases our confidence that the future predictions are correct. Why does it show we are doing it? If we take out human influence, models can't predict the temperature accurately. Scientists can also play with what-if scenarios they can "turn off" the human contribution of greenhouse gases and predict global temperatures in the absence of anthropogenic (= human-caused) input.
What does Friedman mean when he says that the world is becoming "flat"? Why is it particularly problematic when "flat meets crowded"?
Flat culturally. Plateau. Everyone is trying to capture America's way of life. Leveling the global economic playing field. Collapse of communism and the Berlin wall = market economics became the norm in virtually every economy in the world. Seamless, unobstructed global marketplace. Population will swell, many of the new pop will become new consumers and producers. Numbers start to add up: huge appetite for resources, huge cities, energy demands, huge pressures on the environment.
Evaluate Jim Hansen's decision to be both a scientist and an activist.
Former head of NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies. First scientist to declare in front of Senate chamber that climate change was upon us (1988). Didn't have to do it, already had a career, but chose to be an activist. Shaky decision as a scientist, because it's not really his field of expertise but civic duty?
What does it mean that the temperature limit(s) in the Paris Agreement are a "defense line" or a "buffer zone", not a guardrail?
Guardrail hints that if you hit this, it's the end of the world/apocalypse. There's not a hard line for when the damage will be unrecoverable, so the use of buffer zone/defense line shows when you are entering range of "really-not-good". Crossing the line isn't the end-all-being-all, it's just bad.
What were the tactics used by the tobacco industry to mislead the government and the public about the dangers of smoking? How successful were these efforts? Why does Merchants of Doubt include the story about the tobacco industry in a film that is primarily about climate change? [Hint: Don't confuse tactics and strategy. Tactics are those things you do in order to get something done.]
Hire professional to sway jury and public opinion (flame retardants and story about candle and the crib dude). It's important to talk about tobacco industry because the oil/coal industries are using similar tactics/strategy. Play up someone's credentials, make them appear to be scientists that don't really have credibility/expertise in this particular field. Astrophysicist Shift of blame to a different industry/organization; point fingers elsewhere. Blame the furniture, not the cigarettes. Connect to idea of liberty and freedom. First they'll take our cigs, then our HAMBURGERS? Tear down credentials of other experts, threaten experts. Create fake citizen groups (Firefighters of America) In Court, ask for more time/need more time to study issue - DELAY
Define and explain the significance of the temperature limit(s) that are the basis of the Paris Agreement. When do experts believe we will reach the more ambitious target?
Hold increase of global average temp to 2ºC and pursue efforts to limit temperature increase to 1.5ºC above preindustrial levels. The 2 limit is the hard limit, we don't want to go past this. The 1.5 limit is the goal. These were sort of arbitrarily chosen, and weakly defined (When is preindustrial? How is the average taken?) Cancun Agreement in 2010 established 2 degrees, so Paris Agmt stole it. Peak emissions as soon as possible, and reach net-zero/source since balance by the second half of this century (2050)
Explain INDCs, racheting, and the global stocktake in the context of the Paris Agreement.
INDCs = intended nationally determined contributions. These are the contributions each country should make to help achieve the worldwide goal agreed upon. They must be ambitious, represent a progression over time, and set with the view to achieve the purpose of this Agreement" Ratcheting = ratcheting up of ambition in emissions cuts. INDC's should be progressively more restrictive, informed by global stocktake. How should your INDCs evolve to continually reflect the country's highest possible ambition? Global stocktake = periodic progress reports. First evaluation will be in 2023, parties will evaluate how their NDCs stack up to the nearer term goal of peaking global emissions and long term goal of getting to net zero emissions. Collective analysis of what has been achieved and what more needs to be done.
Seasonal changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide in the Southern Hemisphere are usually much less pronounced in comparison with the Northern Hemisphere. Why
Less landmass in Southern Hemisphere. Therefore when there are seasonal changes (leaves/plants alive and plants die) there is less fluctuation in CO2 levels because the amount getting sucked in by plants and then being released by dying plants isn't as much
What does Friedman mean when he says that we are the "grasshopper generation"? Do you agree with his assessment?
Let loose the locust in all of us and eat through a staggering amount of national wealth and natural world in a very short period of time, leaving the next generation a massive economic and ecological deficit - an embodiment of the "profligate/hedonistic approach to economic life" Encouraged to live beyond your means; we are entitled to live large without regard to the consequences for the financial realm or natural realm
Who is Frank Luntz? Assess Luntz's argument in The Persuaders that his work simply helps to inform the public and to improve the quality of public debate.
Luntz is an America political consultant, pollster, and "public opinion guru." Tests language and finds words that will help clients sell product or turn opinion. He argues that as long as he is describing the same thing in different language (death tax vs estate tax/global warming v climate change), he is just CLARIFYING.
Earth's average temperature depends on the balance of energy entering and leaving the system. What are the main sources of energy being received by Earth, and what are the main sources being lost from the Earth? Are these sources currently in balance? How do you know?
Main sources losing energy- clouds/albedo, earth surface radiation Main sources gaining energy-solar radiation, greenhouse gases Not in balance because the human activity is interfering with the balance and the temperature is warming
Describe the report issued by Department of Defense in January, 2019.
Military faces significant faces vulnerabilities due to climate. Bureaucrats are accepting climate change. 1/3 major reports about climate change during trump presidency Harbors/Navy at risk due to sea level rise.
Beyond the technical challenges of drilling through two miles of ice in the most inhospitable climate in the world, what are the major complications of using ice cores for reconstructing ancient climates?
Not always accurate because months can be off since it takes 253 years for a meter of ice to form. Inaccurate because age of the ice layer is not the same as the age of the air bubbles trapped inside the ice (Takes long time- hundreds to 1000s of years before snow is compacted to trap airbubbles) Location - need somewhere where it's constantly below freezing and the ice doesn't shift over that long period of time. Multiple methods to count and cross check the layers they analyze in the ice Sensitivity
According to Mann and Toles, what are the six stages of denial?
One- it's not happening. 2- it is happening but it's natural. 3- self correcting anyway. 4- climate change is good for us. 5- too expensive/too late for us to fix. 6- technology will fix it anyway
Describe the Oregon Petition and the scientists who have signed it. How is this petition used politically?
Oregon Petition/Global Warming Petition Project is a petition to reject the global warming Kyoto Protocol of 1997 and similar policies. Political petition designed for disinforming and confusing the public about the scientific results and consensus of climate change research. Lack of verification of signatures, being signed by Charles Darwin and characters from Star Wars. Brokered by Frederick Seitz, sent out a cover letter using his past position as president of National Academy of Sciences, and had report that was made to look like it'd been published somewhere reputable. The National Academy actually made a statement to distance themselves from Seitz.
Discuss the significance of peak oil. How might the aftermath of peak oil change your life?
Peak oil = we are now producing as much oil as we ever WILL. There are possibilities of finding more oil, but there will still be a continual, gradual fall of oil reserves/availability. Easily accessible stuff will already be gone, extraction is getting tougher and more expensive. The price for oil wil change as we go further along the curve, supply will fall and price will increase as demand increases. Resource wars? Dirtier fuels/unproven sources?
Why is radiation being emitted by the Sun different than radiation being emitted by the Earth?
Radiation being emitted by the sun has a much shorter wavelength can be UV visible light and IR. Longwave is IR and is emitted by the Earth, Objects emit wavelengths based on their temperature, and the sun is much hotter, thus the waves they emit are much higher in energy.
Who is James Inhofe? Describe his role in the climate change denial movement.
Republican Senator from Oklahoma. Leading climate change denier in Senate. This is the dude with the snowball, brought it to Senate floor to show climate change is not real. Receives funding from fossil fuel interests, including Koch brothers and Exxon Mobil. Inhofe says "Global climate change is the greatest hoax ever put on the American people." Continually attempts to debunk climate change scientists- brought in phony witnesses to say that ice age was predicted, major findings weren't replicated (they were), and can't predict climate because weather is unpredictable. Brought in author of Jurassic Park
What are the various motives of climate deniers?
Save money. Personal/political agenda. Financial - make money off fossil fuels; stocks in industry, paid by the industry. Attached to liberty-personal preference; don't tell me what to do. Don't want to affect quality of life, don't want to waste money on it. Deny because that's what your party would say. Too expensive to switch or take action
Discuss the scientific and political differences between the terms global warming and climate change. According to Luntz, which party benefits from which term? Which term do scientists typically prefer and why?
Scientific world uses climate change more often. More of an umbrella term for what is happening to the Earth system. Climate change is how the whole world is suffering/reacting/changing to the temperature increase. Democrats. Global warming is scary to Republicans. They also benefit from this because every time it is cold they say where is your global warming now! And they can cherry pick data to show that it is not/bring snow balls into Congress to discredit global warming
Describe and evaluate three of the main arguments given by climate change deniers.
Scientist are corrupt and only in it for the money, global climate change isn't real and if it is it's not humans fault, it's not affecting me, no scientific consensus, natural cycles It will be good for us agriculture will flourish from higher CO2 levels. Productivity of crops will plummet in the tropics with even modest warming. It's too late or too expensive to act inaction is the least-expensive path forward. Idea of energy poverty (you can't do one thing without taking resources from another): lack of access to energy is primary threat to people in developing world.
In what two ways can carbon isotopes be used to provide evidence that human combustion of fossil fuels is responsible for rising atmospheric carbon dioxide and the corresponding temperature increase?
Stable carbon isotopes are C-13 in the atmosphere naturally more prevalent. We burn fossil fuels and C-12 is released, the ratio is now flipped so that C-12 is more prevalent in the atmosphere. More carbon in atmosphere = more CO2 = greenhouse Carbon-14 is the radioactive carbon. There used to be a natural cycle of C-14 ratios in the atmosphere, but now when we plug in more C-12 and the ratio goes down again. There was a spike of C-14 when we were doing atomic bomb/nuclear testing so there was an upshot; but now declining again with more and more C-12
What was climategate? How does it illustrate the denial movement?
Stole emails from Michael Mann and climate scientists, cherry picked phrases to make bits and pieces look bad. Fed to conservative media. Nothing was done to punish the thieves, but further investigation revealed no foul play by the climate scientists and that statements were taken out of context. Conveniently happened before Copenhagen Summit (2009 United Nations Climate Change Summit). Eight committees investigated the allegations and published reports, finding no evidence of fraud of scientific misconduct. SMEAR CAMPAIGN? Political fallout- change narrative about climate science. Illustrates efforts to discredit scientists! `
Who drilled the first ice core used for climate research, and for what purpose did they drill it
Technically Danish geologist Willi Dansgaard was the first one to study it, but the US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) extracted it when building a top secret military outpost in Greenland. (Camp Century/Project Iceworm - secret nuclear bunker)
Describe and explain the natural variation in temperature and CO2 over the past 800,00 years.
Temperature has fluctuated on a cycle of about 100,000 years. Temperature and CO2 levels are correlated, such that more CO2 = higher temp. More extreme within last 150,000 years. Warming is more drastic (steeper) vs more gradual cooling, rapid warming and slow cooling. Sawtooth pattern. Max's and mins are approx. the same over time, but we've been at a peak for a while (longer than normal) For CO2, there is a very similar pattern to temp but with a slight offset
Explain what aspects of the Paris Agreement were the most contentious, globally and domestically. Is the US currently a party to the Paris Agreement?
The most contentious parts of the Paris Agreement were who pays for it and the third party/technical expert review. Who pays The Paris Agreement does NOT specifically commit parties to contributing a certain amount. developed nations should be the ones paying for it. They have the money and contribute the most to emissions. Developed countries say NAH. Thus the agreement uses nonbinding language, basically saying you should pay more than your share to help developing countries (but technically don't have to). Strongly urges money input from nations. Transparency Framework natural inventory of emissions (show you are counting, and counting correctly). Supporting data/report on progress toward achieving national goal (national communication). Should a 3rd party do this reporting/investigation? Technical expert review? China says NO! Gives them the opportunity to cheat/fudge.
Describe how historical climate proxies implicate human combustion of fossil fuels are the primary cause of global warming.
Tree rings. Corals! Ice cores! Chemistry of ocean sediments! Show us the timeline of carbon, and we can see a spike of CO2 in the history of the proxies. (ie tree rings would be bigger/smaller) See history/record of CO2 in these proxies, we see a spike around industrial revolution - because more CO2 is food for trees
How might an understanding of the social intuitionist model change how climate scientists interact with climate deniers?
Understanding that people have a reaction to information/claims and don't usually change their opinion after this reaction can help format the strategy climate activists take to swing perception. Presenting more science - will not work. Presenting the science in a way that tries to dispel this knee-jerk reaction? Possible!
Describe Donald Trump's campaign promises as they relate to coal mining. Evaluate Trump's ability to live up to these campaign promises as president.
Wants to bring back coal mining jobs. Revive coal industry; appealing to old-timey idea of coal mining. America was great when we coal mining stuff, let's bring it back! Appeal to blue collar workers. Campaign promises—attempting to get jobs back Economists say that loss of coal jobs (325) it should be fine, the workers will shift to new industries. So why do it? It just gets you elected, supporting traditional ways of life Eliminated rule that prevented mountain top coal extraction, no longer have carbon capture regulations
How does the history of climate science refute the idea that climate denial stems from legitimate scientific disagreement?
We knew about climate change from fossil fuels in 1820's and greenhouse effect/warming of the Earth that was caused/contributed to by fossil fuels. But we didn't get denialism until Reagan's term (1980's) climate scientists discovered the greenhouse effect as soon as 1820s. Then in the 50s, the CO2 was identified as a main greenhouse gas. In 1938, the temperatures over time were reconstructed for the first time by Guy Callendar and clearly showed a rising tendency since the early 1900s. The fact that people emitted more CO2 by coal-burning into the atmosphere was well-known
Discuss the funding of the climate denial movement as described in Merchants of Doubt and the article by Gillis and Schwartz.
Wei-Hock (Willie) Soon is an advocate for climate denial- has been on TV, talked before congress, spoken at conferences. But this dude has accepted more than $1.2 million from fossil-fuel industry and did not disclose the conflict of interest in most of his scientific papers. Dr. Soon calls his papers "deliverables." About $400,000 came from Southern Company based in Atlanta, utility holding company with huge investments in coal industry. $230,000 from Charles G Kock charitable foundation
Describe how climate scientists are able to obtain estimates of surface temperature and atmospheric composition from ice cores.
Well-known relationship between average annual temperature and amount Hydrogen isotope deuterium. Can describe atmospheric composition from analyzing bubbles trapped, and see how gases have changed over time
- World's first comprehensive climate agreement -Agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate (UNFCCC)- -brings nations (195 UNFCCC members signed/185 members became a party to it) to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects -Deals with greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance starting in 2020. -Each country must determine, plan, and regularly report on contribution that it undertakes to combat global warming.
What is the "Paris Agreement" and why is it significant for climate change?
Discuss Donald Trump's tweets about climate change.
Where is global warming when cold? We don't know if it's real... no one really knows. It's a ploy by the Chinese. Mixes up weather and climate, creates misunderstanding between the two.
Select one news story related to climate change that was published this semester and summarize it. This should be a story that we have not discussed in class.
With Climate Science on the March, and Isolate Trump Hunkers Down: -more and more people -even leading Republicans—are acknowledging climate change is real and should be dealt with. -National Climate Assessment detailed that climate change was happening, that burning fossil fuels was warming the atmosphere and dangerous for US. -Trump might make a panel to question the National Climate Assessment -will nominate Kelly Knight Craft to be ambassador to UN (she says that both sides are accurate about climate change)
Why have American politicians been reluctant to push for a reduction in carbon emissions?
You get votes for referring back to older traditions. Political agenda. Lose the support of corporate America. More government = socialist.
How do we know that natural processes are currently able to absorb natural emissions of carbon dioxide? How does this fact implicate humans as the primary cause of global warming
annual change in CO2 = natural emissions + human emissions - (natural absorption + human absorption) We know human absorption is 0, we know the growth in CO2 is about 15 bn/year and how much we have taken out is 30 bn/year. This implicates humans because the annual change in CO2 used to be ~net zero, natural absorption used to accommodate for both natural and human emissions. But now Natural absorption is also being affected by humans - deforestation
Describe the difference between incoming radiation from the Sun, and outgoing radiation from the Earth. What role does this play in the greenhouse effect?
in short waves (UV, light IR, etc), out long waves. Energy changes from short to long wavelengths. Greenhouse effect = trap longwaves that are trying to leave, also depletion of ozone layer so more shortwaves are coming in.
Describe in depth three of these reasons why Mann and Toles argue that we should give a damn about climate change.
security = climate change is ultimate threat multiplier. Makes existing tensions/conflicts much worse. More competition for a bigger population with less food, less water, and less land global conflict! Syrian civil war - drought aggravated civil unrest and societal instability that led to civil war. Food—global population growing, already hundreds of millions starving/suffering from malnutrition. Climate change will lead to a decrease in global food production. Water shortages. Tropics already at optimal growing conditions-changes would lead to precipitous drops in yields due to rpid descent down to far side of productivity peak. More damaging weather patterns would ruin more optimized places. Longer growing seasons will potentially get longer, crops will potentially be grown at higher latitudes, but gains are offset by more damaging weather, widespread and destructive wildfires, and longer/more frequent drought. Can't rely on seafood because of overfishing and ocean acidification Land—more pressure to find land to cultivate for livestock/agriculture but also need space for growing population. More deforestation. Climate change reduces available living space - COASTLINES! Many cities are located on coastline and are at risk for storm surges and sea level rise. Climate change also making more regions uninhabitable - dependent on rainfall? Well that sucks because of sustained drought and intermittent/unpredictable rainfall environmental refugeeism.
What evidence can you cite that solar radiation is not the main cause of global warming over the past century?
solar irradiance = amount of solar radiation received from the sun. R^2 = 0.17. Solar irradiance only accounts for 17% of the variability in temperature variation/anomaly. Since 1980, R^2 is only 0.0025, so the variability is even less explained by the irradiance.
Describe climate denial in the Trump administration.
-Climate change during the campaign - not a priority for voters, Republicans are not convinced climate change is a thing -Scott Pruitt appointment to EPA (big supporter of Exxon Mobil), Rick Perry to lead Department of Energy (big gas drilling supporter), Ryan Zinc Interior Secretary, Rex Tillerson (Exxon CEO) -Trump wants to pull out of Paris Agreement -Not full denial; but why waste our money on it? -Trump supports Keystone Pipeline and Dakota Access Pipeline Removal of climate change webpages from whitehouse.gov
Explain INDCs, racheting, and the global stocktake in the context of the Paris Agreement.
-INDCs = intended nationally determined contributions. contributions each country should make to help achieve the worldwide goal agreed upon. They must be ambitious, represent a progression over time, and set with the view to achieve the purpose of this Agreement" -Ratcheting = ratcheting up of ambition in emissions cuts. INDC's should be progressively more restrictive, informed by global stocktake. INDCs evolve to continually reflect the country's highest possible ambition -Global stocktake = periodic progress reports. First evaluation will be in 2023, parties will evaluate how their NDCs stack up to the nearer term goal of peaking global emissions and long term goal of getting to net zero emissions. Collective analysis of what has been achieved and what more needs to be done.
What is scientific skepticism? How is it different from denial? How is it used by denialists
-Skepticism is good because it makes people think critically about data—peer review, professional challenges. A standard that extraordinariny findings require extraordinary evidence. -DENIAL is different because it ignores what data says-outright refusal to accept research because it doesn't agree with your views. -Denialists use scientific skepticism to make it look like uncertainty/lack of confidence when really it's basically just peer review. Denialists use skepticism and sow in a false pretext of skepticism that's really deliberate confusion. (Science recognizes the inevitability of uncertainty. The point isn't to go for perfection but to continually refine models of how complex phenomena work. Science uses doubt as a tool, a prod to deepen understanding. Seitz and his associates used doubt as a weapon against science)
What are 3 fundamental ways to change Earth's average temperature? How does each act in general to change earth's temperature? How are human activities contributing to each factor?
-Solar radiation emits shortwaves and warms atmosphere. Humans affect it by depleting ozone layer and that lets in more shortwaves. -Albedo (clouds/snow) reflect light- decrease energy reaching Earth surface, decrease temp. Humans affect with less ice and more snow melt, decreasing amount reflected. -Earth radiates long waves, releases energy from the earth which should lower the temperature. Humans affect by inputting more greenhouse gases, which traps this outgoing radiation.
Describe at least three pieces of evidence that humans are responsible for the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide since 1800.
-Total amount of CO2 in atmosphere has increased, because natural absorption can't handle both natural and human emissions. -The slope of CO2 in atmosphere over time is increasing. -Isotopes - humans producing excess of C12, so the ratio of C13:C12 is decreasing. Atmosphere is naturally C13, and we produce C12 from burning fossil fuels (comes from plants/organic matter)
Why might a social intuitionist explain denialist arguments against climate change?
-social intuitionist model = moral judgment is caused by quick moral intuitions and is followed (when needed) by slow, ex post facto moral reasoning. -They have a knee-jerk reaction to climate change and then, after making up their mind about it, try to reason out why they feel this way. -Denialist argument comes about because for some reason the person has an emotional reaction to the stuff
Explain what the social intuitionist model is, and how it pertains to climate denial.
1. Haidt holds that we are not as rational as we think we are. You mind is made up when you hear something (gut feeling) and your reasoning is then a lawyer looking for the reason, not a judge for the truth. You have a gut reaction and THEN try to say why. Emotional response precedes logical response. Even if people can't find reasons, they stick by their initial judgements. Intuitionism in philosophy refers to the view that there are moral truths and that when people grasp these truths they do so not by a process of ratiocina- tion and reflection but rather by a process more akin to perception, in which one "just sees with- out argument that they are and must be true This pertains to climate denial because deniers have a knee-jerk emotional reaction to climate science. They feel threatened. And scientists giving more scient to climate deniers DOESN'T WORK because of this knee jerk reaction.
Friedman writes, "China's foundation cannot be the foundation we built America on" (p. 89). What does he mean? What foundation does he propose we use instead
1. More people are catching American affluenza - rich/middle clas with penchant for consumerism. People all over the world are buying American style homes, American style living spaces, buying American style cars, eating fast food, and making American level of garbage. So many more people are starting to prosper, consume energy, and emit CO2 at the same levels as Americans. Cradle to cradle - we can and must make every TV set, chair, carpet, piece of furniture, and computer screen out of materials that can be either completely reusable in other product in other products or completely biodegradable. All product componets can be designed for continuous recovery and reutilization as biological/technical nutrients. Code Green = take lead in solving problems of hot flat crowded. Create tools, strategies, energy sources, values that will allow world to grown cleaner and more sustainable
