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Re: [Phys-L] just for fun?

Let me be clear that my posts are not really about the current science of anthropogenic driven global warming but rather about why the general public has not bought in 'lock stock and barrel' which seems to astound and confuse some here. For a variety of reasons (not all rational or all irrational) the public seems not to hold science and scientists in the same awe and trust as in (most of our) earlier years. Catching a few mistakes, exaggerations, or misdirections is enough to throw a monkey wrench into otherwise meaningful communication. An Inconvenient Truth is a good example of this as there are a number of well presented and documented lists of such mistakes etc. Whether such criticism is fair or even scientifically meaningful is not the issue--it is the public perception of the overall science when an important presentation is flawed. Science for the Citizen (one of our buzzword learning objectives at Saint Mary's) is extremely important, but like the proliferation of news channels, the 'popular' science being fed the public (Discover, Science Channel, National Geographic, etc.) confuses almost as much as it educates. Again, trying to find a good visual (video) presentation on Global Warming is proving to be very difficult. The best (IMO) is still the NOVA/FRONTLINE 2001 "What's Up with the Weather" for which I'm trying to find a shorter/update but having watched a half-dozen newer films I haven't come up with one.
[Again, IMO, the NOVA program, which predates Inconvenient Truth, has better science, better presentation, and a more balanced approach but leads students to the same conclusions.]

rwt



On 1/4/2014 2:36 PM, John Mallinckrodt wrote:
It's not the same, but it IS a little surprising that the perfectly obvious implications of a positive feedback mechanism aren't more, well, perfectly obvious.

John Mallinckrodt
Cal Poly Pomona

On Jan 4, 2014, at 11:30 AM, Richard Tarara wrote:

Sorry if I'm too stupid to see that if A happens first then B happens is
exactly the same as if B happens first then A happens, which seems to be
your reading of the historical data which is what one would have to
believe to be satisfied with Gore's presentation. Fine...I give up (but
you might want to watch the film again ;-) )
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Richard Tarara
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College

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