Needs Revision

Reading to be done before Class: AE Article 1 The Economist, 2002, "How many planets? A survey of the global environment," The Economist pp 7-10, Article 29 "Global Warming as a Weapon of Mass Destruction ,Bruce E. Johansen, Z Magazine, March 2004,
Come to class with a basic familiarity with the following concepts and ideas: greenhouse effect, possible effects of climate change, low-carbon energy system, sequestration, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), Kyoto Protocol, scale, thinking globally acting globally, uncertainty
Additional Assignment: Assignment

To prepare for discussion This week we examine three articles that collectively examine the evidence of global warming, the possible consequences, and ways to mitigate global warming. The first article from the Economist (2002) lays out the evidence for global warming but says that the slow pace and global scale of climate change creates uncertainty about the connections between causes and effects. On the one hand, though global temperatures and greenhouse gas levels have both risen, it is difficult to prove that human actions have caused global warming. On the other we will not know for decades whether any actions we take today to mitigate global warming will have been effective. Mitigation efforts to achieve a "low-carbon" world will need to take place slowly in order to avoid economic disruption. The authors point out that the consequences of global warming would likely affect less developed countries more dramatically than developed countries.

The second reading by geographers Robert Kates and Thomas Wilbanks (2003) reports on the results of the Global Change and Local Places research group of the Association of American Geographers. More than anything else you have read this semester this article illustrates the kind of rich contribution that geography can make to solving environmental problems because of its interdisciplinary approach. The methods used by the research team (see the list on pg 55) are those of both physical and social scientists and include statistical estimates of emissions, mapping and GIS, and surveys and interviews. The research group examined four study areas in terms of their past emissions of greenhouse gasses, their sources, and potential actions that could be taken in each place to reduce emissions. The authors argue that the concept of scale is essential for understanding ways to mitigate climate change. Though global warming is a global phenomenon, the actions that lead to climate change as well as the consequences take place at local and regional scales. Most discussions of the politics of global warming dismiss the local as a scale for action. After all, it seems to make sense that global problems require global solutions. The authors argue, however, that thinking globally and acting globally is not enough to make a difference in the problem of climate change. While locals can do much to curb their own emissions, the case studies show that not all emissions in a place are controlled by people who live in that place. Furthermore even if global actors (governments, international organizations, corporations) reduce emissions that they are responsible for, emissions at the local scale (particularly for methane or nitrous oxide) are not necessarily controlled by these global actors.

The final reading from Time (Lemonick 2001) examines the present and future impacts of global warming. The box of exhibits (pg. 201) lists evidence that climate change may already be having an effect on our environment and considers the potential for future impacts Even so, the article cautions that there is uncertainty over how much the climate will change.

While all three articles focus on different aspects of the issues of climate change, all point out that our climate is warming and that humans are at least partly responsible. While they advocate different responses to mitigate climate change, they all argue that the sooner we reduce greenhouse gas emissions the better off our planet will be in the long run.

Questions to be discussed

1. What evidence is there in support of global warming? How certain is it that human activities have caused global warming?

2. What evidence is there that our climate is already changing? How certain can we be that this evidence is connected to global warming?

3. How can geographical studies contribute to finding ways to mitigate climate change? Why is it important to pay attention to both social and physical processes?

4. What is scale? Why is paying attention to issues of scale important for mitigating climate change?

5. In the absence of a national will to address global warming, localities and states are acting independently reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Will these actions at the local scale help to mitigate climate change?

6. What actions to mitigate climate change can be taken at the local scale? What actions cannot be taken at the local scale? Why is it important to "think both locally and globally."