Jun 8, 2018
Climate change is real, and we are causing it. At least, that’s the consensus among scientists around the world. A tiny handful of academics disagree, and that is a critical feature of science, but does this mean we should debate it as if it were an open question? Part of the reason we seem to so freely and so brazenly challenge those who have done their homework is because we lack the tools to distinguish between fact and fiction. We, as citizens, need to be literate in science in order for the real debates to be had.
Joining Ben for an impassioned conversation is renowned climate scientist Dr. John Smol.
Read the blog post for this episode.
About the Guest
Water pollution, climatic change, declining fisheries – these environmental problems are at the forefront of many people’s minds. And so are the dreaded diseases like cancer, asthma, autism, that many experts feel are linked to toxic chemicals in our environment, in particular, our fresh water supplies.
John Smol and his team at the Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Laboratory (PEARL), at Queen's University, go deep below the surface of our lakes and rivers to uncover the secrets of our environmental history, written in the mud and silt.
Professor Smol’s work has been informing policy discussions and decisions nationally and internationally for many years, starting with his acclaimed role in the acid rain debates. With the help of the PEARL team, his research has enabled policy makers to make knowledgeable, proactive decisions in areas such as agricultural runoff, clearcutting, protection of fish habitats, and air pollution control.
With a public more concerned and informed about the environment than ever before, PEARL’s ongoing discoveries enable governments to be leaders in the stewardship of Canadian natural resources.
No matter how complicated paleolimnology might sound to you, to John, it’s all about one simple vision: the more we know about our environment, the better decisions we can make to protect it.
Mentioned in this Episode
- A poll from 2018 that shows 1/3 of Canadians don't believe humans and industry cause climate change
- James Powell, a US geologist and author who argues that the acceptance of anthropomorphic climate change in the scientific community is virtually universal
- 27th International Polar Conference (2018)
- A poll from 2017 that shows nearly half of Canadians think science is a "matter of opinion"
- A Short History of Progress, a book by author Ronald Wright based on his 2004 Massey Lectures
- Clip (YouTube) from the television program Newsroom, featuring a climate scientist who has essentially given up
The Quote of the Week
The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an
open one.
- Malcolm Forbes