I4 Seminar Open Discussion
From BioMASS Laboratory Wiki
Letter from Dr. Bode
TO: ALL ABE Graduate Students
I hope you enjoyed last week’s seminar by Professor Michael Schlesinger regarding Human-Induced Climate Change. His premise was that humans have dramatically affected our global climate and even if we take drastic steps now to reverse our actions, it will require 1000 years to reach equilibrium.
A neat thing about academic institutions is the opportunity to review these kinds of critical issues from several points of view. Ideally, we should have a seminar speaker this week looking at the opposite view and then use a third seminar for an open discussion regarding climate change. We are too pressured to move forward for that to happen so I am taking this opportunity to try something new and provide you an assignment for ABE 594.
An interesting paper providing a different view of human-induced climate change is available at the following URL: http://www.jpands.org/jpands1203.htm. I’m asking each of you to take a look at the article and then provide your view of this important global issue. Just to get you started, the first sentence in the conclusions state: “There are no experimental data to support the hypothesis that increases in human hydrocarbon use or in atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are causing or can be expected to cause unfavorable changes in global temperatures, weather, or landscape.”
If a “chat room” can be made available on our server, I will encourage a dialog on this topic. Until then, discuss this among yourselves during your breaks and other opportunities. Ask faculty their views and challenge them with supporting data. Use your time at the U of I to expand your thinking on many issues such as climate change.
Loren E. Bode
