Chemistry teacher, students examine causes, effects of global warming
By Levi Messer contributing writer
Published: Friday, March 2, 2012
Editor's Note: This article was completed as an assignment for a class in the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
The noise of talking in the crowded classroom gradually subsided as Lou Wojcinski, K-State assistant teaching scholar of chemistry, displayed the following question through the class projection system:
"Do you think most scientists agree with one another about whether or not global warming is happening, or do you think there is a lot of disagreement among scientists on the issue?"
Wojcinski then instructed the students to answer the question with their I-clickers; 70 percent of the class responded that there is significant disagreement among scientists, whereas only 30 percent said that the issue is settled.
As the political global warming debate surges, this poll raises the question of whether or not scientists agree on the issue.
Wojcinski said roughly 90 percent of scientists agree that global warming is occurring.
"Projections about the future are much harder to do; I would say there is less agreement there," Wojcinski said.
Wojcinski said there are a variety of factors that contribute to global warming.
"There is a human contribution to increased temperatures," he said. "I think it is important to say that it is not just a human contribution. There are natural contributions to the temperatures that we have, and I think that what some people think when they hear that it's a human-caused problem — they think it's just a human-caused problem, which sounds a little silly. I think part of the hesitancy in accepting the science comes from people interpreting it as solely a human problem."
Besides disagreeing about what scientists think, students at K-State also have differing views about what global warming is and its implications for the future.
Mollie Barbee, sophomore in hotel and restaurant management and a student in Wojcinski's class, said that global warming is at least partially people-driven, but said the solution will be purely natural.
"There is evidence to show that we have not caused it solely, but that we have influenced it — but there are a lot of things that are just natural," Barbee said. "We had an ice age and then it warmed up; it has gotten colder then it gets warm again."
Although Barbee said that the Earth will heal itself, she does not advocate irresponsible behavior.
"I feel we should take care of the earth and watch what we do, but given the time, it will cycle back," she said.
Nick Rohrbaugh, freshman in business administration and general chemistry, seemed more concerned about the issue.
"In the worst-case scenario, it could drastically change our lifestyles," Rohrbaugh said. "Yes, it is changing, and yes, we should do something about it."
Certain groups sometimes characterize global warming as a crisis, but Wojcinski said he thought that language is too strong.
"I'm not saying it's not a problem, but I think ‘crisis' might be overstating it," Wojcinski said. "I don't think we are headed for a giant fireball of death, but there will probably be some problems."
Some of those potential problems include the increase in mosquito-borne illnesses, rising coastal waters, an increase in the probability of violent storms and less consistent rainfall.
Others point out positives such as new farmland in places where farming is impossible now, and a larger range of growth for exotic tropical and subtropical fruit, according to Wojcinski.
Wojcinski says that if projected temperature increases occur, it could create a new state of winners and losers.
John Coleman, meteorologist and founder of The Weather Channel, has publicly disagreed with the claims that the science of global warming is irrefutable and said on Fox News' "Red Eye program" that he, along with 30,000 other scientists, is suing Al Gore for fraud. Coleman claims that Al Gore's views, made famous by his film "An Inconvenient Truth," are a "total scam" and "part of an environmentalist religion."
Wojcinski said as debate continues, he is becoming more certain of his ideas on the issue and more doubtful about the future.
"The issue of there being a man-made contribution to global warming is resolved," Wojcinski said. "There is no doubt about that. Are there doubts about what will happen in the future? Sure. Are there doubts about what all the consequences will be? Absolutely. There are things we are more certain of, and things we are less certain of."
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