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Like any major news event calling for action in society, the issue of climate change has seen ferocious debating about its validity. One of the best parts of the timing of the issue’s growth (and reasons for it!) is the internet. The internet and ever-emerging web tools out there have allowed for interest and action in the green movement to quickly reach an individual level.
This is especially important because alleviating environmental impact begins with a personal decision, and it is easy for an individual to either be intimidated by taking action or outright get lost in one side of a debate without knowing the other. In light of the massive scale on which activists such as Greenpeace or Al Gore battle environmental issues, it is often forgotten how much can be done on a small or individual scale to help acquire the truth and take action, and how quickly a small act can spread to make a difference.
In a recent example, on September 14, 2007 the distinguished Heartland Institute released a list of 500 Scientists whose work allegedly displayed proof that they did not support the climate change theory. The credibility of the organisation combined with the qualified names of professors and researchers on the list had the potential to give a blow to the theory of climate change.
In response, climate change activist Kevin Grandia from Desmogblog decided to contact some of the names off of the list, and received a surprising response that many of them did not even know they were on it. It is not surprising that outrage followed.
Some of the quotes from Desmogblog, within the first 24-hour period, and published in the initial article on April 29th include:
I am horrified to find my name on such a list. I have spent the last 20 years arguing the opposite.
- Dr. David Sugden. Professor of Geography, University of Edinburgh
I have NO doubts …the recent changes in global climate ARE man-induced. I insist that you immediately remove my name from this list since I did not give you permission to put it there.
- Dr. Gregory Cutter, Professor, Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Old Dominion University
I don’t believe any of my work can be used to support any of the statements listed in the article.
- Dr. Robert Whittaker, Professor of Biogeography, University of Oxford
The blog has since followed up with further releases. While the Heartland Institute is refusing the demands by dozens to be removed from the list, it has withdrawn its claim of having identified “500 Scientists with Documented Doubts about Global Warming Scares.” Some of these individuals, including the likes of the University of Maryland’s Distinguished Professor Eugenia Kalnay, do not seem to hesitate in sharing their outrage with the unethical display by the offenders, calling the list “wrong and offensive.” Others, such as five New Zealand scientists have dismissed the Heartland Institute all together.
While Desmogblog isn’t exactly a small project, I wanted to highlight how quickly an initiative to question challenges to their beliefs spread to get the public involved. It doesn’t take a big name to do such a thing, and while it does take courage to put one’s opinion on the line it takes less effort than many people think to question what they are told, and in turn make accountable those that project false assertions. The more the climate change debate is in the news, the more the theory will become refined and the information standard, encouraging action to make a difference.
Via: TheGreenRocket.com
