fredd A2

2008-02-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

Free Blog entry

One can observe many different points of views in the media. What some of us might have regarded as hard fact concerning global warming changes from day to day. One eventually reaches a point where we are unaffected by this new information, a point where it doesn’t matter what new discoveries have been made we just don’t care. This causes much chaos in educational institutions where a curriculum concerning global warming can change from one year to the next.. With such a wide range of information people can interpret their own views on climate change. It get s to a point where one chooses the information he\she likes best about the topic because he is exposed to so many varying views. One person might have heard that the whole world will die in 100 years and believes it because it is what he chooses to believe. This creates a population with many different points of view about this topic which makes it hard to come to a definite conclusion since scientists are working more on their own ideas, than on the ideas which are in the interests of the people.
Data about global warming is changing all the time and as a result people don’t know what is fact and what is fiction.
For example Germanwatch, an institution whose intention it is to convince students of global warming and warn them for the affects of global warming, still says that the sea level will rise about 1 meter and 40 centimetres in 70 years although IPCC has already confirmed new data which says that the sea level will only rise 30 centimetres.

Room for interpretation allows people to distort facts and decide upon their own views regarding global warming.

2008-02-15T00:14:00.000-08:00

Video Clip

This video was made by a respectable German TV channel called “das erste”.

It deals mainly with the environmental activist Al Gore. In this video the statements Al Gore made in “the inconvenient truth” are checked thoroughly. Al Gore is presented as exploiter of the whole global warming issue. Other scientists are asked about the statements Al Gore made and they mostly disagree with his analysis of the issue. The opinions of most of the scientists in this video were mainly not that as harsh as Al Gore’s and some even talked of the human impact of global warming as being a miniscule factor. Too many natural cycles can be blamed for the current global climate trends.

As a result Siegmar Gabriel, a German politician, ordered 6000 documentaries featuring global warming for students in Germany to study. However it must be said that the makers of the video intend to prove that Al Gore is wrong. As a result these videos probably won’t show reference scientists whose opinion is that Al Gore is right. Furthermore, to viewers of the video it is more interesting to learn about the limitations of Al Gore’s analysis than any relevant information. So we can safely say that the makers of that movie are bias.

Klimawandel oder Klimahandel? (climate change or climate trade?)

2008-02-15T00:11:00.002-08:00

2008-02-15T00:11:00.001-08:00

2008-02-15T00:08:00.000-08:00

Free Blog Entry

In my opinion some theories about global warming are exaggerated to create more attention than they would normally get. Some people might even benefit from this “global warming panic” and apocalypse theory. For some the issue could work out for their best. For example Al Gore who was a failed presidential candidate and was nearly forgotten suddenly came back on the radar with his global warming slide show. He convinced many of his theories and presented some terrifying ideas. As a result the cinemas were full and he sold plenty of books.

Furthermore the whole market for non fossil energy has increased since the topic “global warming“came up in the news.

2008-02-06T21:24:00.000-08:00

2008-02-06T21:18:00.001-08:00

In this assignment I was supposed to find a commentary on the internet and state the writer’s position.

Furthermore I am going to talk about whether I agree or disagree with this position.

Source: article: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/artikel/206/90116/

The author (Wolfgang Roth) of this commentary represents the most common view regarding global warming. Primarily Roth is not satisfied with the results of the Kyoto protocol and the emission conference in Rio. He argues that although 2 years after the Kyoto protocol and 15 years after the conference in Rio CO2 emissions have increased leaving the world in worse condition than it has ever been.

Roth is also concerned that the most industrialized countries don’t weigh the global warming issue as seriously as they should. Ironically the countries that should be dealing with this issue most seriously have the greatest neglect for it. He talks specifically about China India and the USA and their political policies on global warming. These are countries where in Roth’s opinion global warming isn’t seen as a big issue yet. But Roth also emphasizes that there is hope for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions since, “only ignoramuses doubt that the human being affects our climate”.

I agree with Roth that more attention has to be paid on global warming by several countries. 15 years after the conference in Rio emission levels have increased and this is not only due to neglect to inform the public of the severity of the situation but also due to economic growth. Since today more people drive cars and the automobile industry has grown by comparison to 15 years ago it is logical to have higher emissions.

The fact that Roth calls people who don’t believe that human beings plays a big rule in global warming “ignoramuses” takes away the author’s credibility.

There is also the view that global warming is the result of natural causes and therefore humans have little or no effect on the climate of the earth. In my opinion this article was too aggressive regarding a very sensitive topic.

2008-01-13T10:55:00.001-08:00

This blog deals primarily with global warming and the increasingly noticeable effects it is having on our lifestyles and our environment. It should also promote a more skeptical and critical view on global warming in today's world. A world where the media confronts us nearly every day with shocking details about the effects of global warming on mother nature. In Germany headlines like "We have only 13 years to save our planet" are commonplace amongst publications, whereas in North America acceptance of the theory is not complete. As a result varying views on Global Warming are present here and there seems to be some hesitation as to the actions that could be taken to prevent it.
By writing and keeping this blog I hope to gain further insight into Global Warming and world views regarding it, particularly North American views. I am also going to observe current trends in articles regarding my topic in popular media. Given the popularity of the subject it should not be too difficult to find new and original material on a daily basis. This blog should help the reader to attain an accurate view on Global Warming that would otherwise be difficult to find in the media.