Que Sais Je?: Phase 6

Friday, February 18, 2011

Phase 6

My source for this assignment is an article from LBC's data base, ECO, titled Global Warming: A Consequence of Human Activities Rivaling Earth's Biogeochemical Processes by Jerald L Schnoor from the journal "Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal 11, no. 6 (2005): 1105-1110".

I believe my source is credible because the author is a recognized expert in the field of climate change and the article appeared in a pear-reviewed journal. Furthermore the author did give a number of sources that support his article. On the other hand, it is a bit of a red flag that AEHS, The Association for Environmental Health and Science, the publisher of the journal, basically has a mission statement that implies the existence of man-caused global warming. On the other hand, it's hard anyone who isn't strongly opinionated on this issue, so it is impossible to discard every source for bias. It would also be nice if the article was a little more recent, but it is one of the most recent informative articles I have found, so I can't really complain.

This source is useful because it shows the other side of the argument from were I stand and helps give my research some semblance of balance. Unfortunately, it does not respond to the positions of the authors I have been sighting in the past, but it does at least provide an example of the beliefs of those on the other side of the issue. Although the article does not give detailed evidence for many of its claims, it does give a good sampling of the arguments that those who support evidence use, which at least helps one think about how one might respond or agree in advance, so that you aren't caught off guard. Despite some minor short comings, I believe this article could be useful for someone who wants to be able to defend his or her opinion.

Dr. Schnoor began by explaining that Global Warming will have an affect on the future entire world and is therefore important for everyone on earth to address. Dr. Schnoor then explained that the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide must be due to human activities because the flux began with the industrial revolution, when humans first began using fossil fuels and that the dynamics of Carbon Dioxides distribution can only be explained by human activities. Dr. Schnoor also related that the earth is warmer than it has been for the last 1000 years and that the warmest years have also been the most recent. He also pointed out that damages from natural disasters have been increasing recently, which would be one of the expected affects of Global Warming. Dr. Schnoor further states that the ice caps have been rapidly melting, which would be an obvious result of Global Warming. Dr. Schnoor continued by saying that the detrimental affects of Global Warming that have already been documented include increasing heat stroke in humans and the alteration of the behavior of Mexican Jays. Dr. Schnoor concluded that the entire source of power for our economy needed to be changed and that large cuts in green house gas emissions are obligatory but that if this requirement was met world would be OK.

I disagree with Dr. Schnoor's statement that Global Warming has been caused by man because I believe that a lot of his "evidence" is flawed. His main argument for the fact that humans are responsible for Global Warming is that humans burn fossil fuels. By that reasoning there should be huge amounts of Carbon Dioxid ein the atmosphere, while the data shows that the increase in atmospheric Carbon Dioxide is significantly less that the amount released by the combustion of fossil fuels. If not all of the Carbon Dioxide released makes a difference, how can one know that the fossil fuels are actually driving the change. They certainly have an affect, but Dr. Schnoor cannot prove that they are driving the increase. Furthermore, as my source from Phase 5 pointed out, ice core data, which is our only method of determining ancient concentrations of atmospheric concentrations of Carbon Dioxide, is flawed and due to drilling techniques will read a lower concentrations of Carbon Dioxide that was actually trapped in the ice. I would suspect that the rise in Carbon Dioxide is more due to the fact that the earth is warming than that the earth is warming because of a rise in Carbon Dioxide, as I read in one of the sources I decided not to use. Because the solubility of Carbon Dioxide decreases as temperature increases, less Carbon Dioxide will dissolve in the ocean as the earth warms. As for the fact that the earth is warming, of course it is! If it isn't cooling, then it's warming. I'm not sure where he found out that it's warmer than it has been for 1000 years, because I found another source that claimed that were are actually below the temperatures from the medieval period. The Mexican Jays have been adjusting to the environment since God created and I wouldn't worry about them changing the behavior a little bit. (Isn't that what this whole evolution thing is about?) As for the increasingly fat Americans that are dying from heat stroke, I'm sorry for them, but people don't live forever and just because Americans are not as physically fit as they used to be does not mean that we need to ban the use of fossil fuels right away.

2 comments:

One English TeacherFebruary 27, 2011 at 1:31 AM
Josh, it was smart of your to look at the mission statement of the organization managing the journal in which your article was published. You also did a great job recognizing that while this source did present an opposing viewpoint, it (unfortunately) did not respond directly to the arguments made in other sources you have found for the blog.

I like how your response links what you learned in this source with what you learned in other sources. I can see you striving to be the independent researcher who sorts through the claims of all of your sources and makes your own decisions about the accuracy of their claims.

You should be a little careful about not jumping too far in your own response conclusions. For example, you fight the heat stroke claim with a counterargument that obesity is instead causing the heat related deaths. If you have evidence, that can be a valid claim, but if you don't, it might be better to offer up the obesity factors as a potential hypothesis for the heat related deaths rather than offering the factor up as a certainty.
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JoshFebruary 27, 2011 at 8:59 AM
Sorry, I tend to get carried away. I'll work on that.
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"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

John 6:35-40

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because [1] the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, [2] for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Romans 8:26-30

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us [1] for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known [2] to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee [3] of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, [4] to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:3-4

“‘One word, Ma’am,’ he said, come back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. ‘One word. All you’ve been saying is quite right, I shouldn’t wonder. I’m a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won’t deny any of what you said. But there’s one thing more to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things—treed and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom or yours is the only World. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that’s a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We’re just babies making up a game, if you’re right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That’s why I’m going to stand by the play world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we’re leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that’s small loss if the world’s as dull a place as you say.’”

C. S. Lewis, The Silver Chair

¹¹And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹²And after the earthquake, a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. ¹³And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁴He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your alters, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” ¹⁵And the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. . . ¹⁸Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

I Kings 19:11-15,18

“Far from being the Great Satan, I would say that we are the Great Protector. We have sent men and women from the armed forces of the United States to other parts of the world throughout the past century to put down oppression. . . . All in the interest of preserving the rights of people. And when all those conflicts were over, what did we do? Did we stay and conquer? No. We built [our enemies] up. We gave them democratic systems. . . . Did we ask for any land? No. The only land we ever asked for was enough land to bury our dead.”

Colin Powell

“‘I was wondering—I mean—could there be some mistake? Because nobody called me and Scrubb, you know. It was we who asked to come here. Scrubb said we were to call to—to Somebody—it was a name I wouldn’t know—and perhaps the Somebody would let us in. And we did, and then we found the door open.’

‘You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you,’ said the Lion.

‘Then you are Somebody, Sir?’ said Jill.

‘I am.’”

C. S. Lewis, The Silver Chair