[Coral-List] Reporting Co2 to the public
Steve Mussman
sealab at earthlink.net
Wed Sep 19 09:45:54 EDT 2012
Ellen,
I think many of us share your frustrations as we search for ways to affect
public attitudes
regarding climate change, ocean acidification and other substantive issues
as well.
Recently, I attended a panel discussion relating to Orca captivity. Much of
the expert
commentary focused on dismay over the inability of information clearly
illustrating the
inappropriate nature of the practice to translate into a reflective reaction
whereby the public
no longer subsidizes such spectacles.
It struck me that the public's indifference to the dolphin issue (much like
climate change), was
in reality a cultural one. What we are talking about are issues that in
order to be properly
resolved will require a shift in the fundamental way in which our society
thinks and acts. It goes
to the very core of our collective values. It's no wonder we remain
perplexed and discouraged for
we live in a media-driven society more engaged and fascinated with the
Kardashians than with
the implications of climate change or the sufferings of captive whales.
[1]http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/06/27/study-kardashians-get-40-times-mo
re-news-covera/186703
It seems to me that we have nobody to blame but ourselves. Media outlets
reject hard science content
because they can sell only what we are willing to endure. It's a tall order,
but all that's left to do is find
ways to transform our society into one more captivated by the hope for a
better future than escaping into
the depths of reality TV.
Steve
-----Original Message-----
>From: Ellen Prager
>Sent: Sep 17, 2012 8:42 AM
>To: "Delbeek, Charles"
>Cc: "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov"
>Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Reporting Co2 to the public
>
>Charles
>
>I was in no way saying give up, but that the strategy suggested might
>not be the way to go- sort of a reality check. I continue to pitch
>stories and ideas from my colleagues to my contacts in the news
>industry hoping that they will increase their science coverage and
>help to get the word out. We need to continue on many fronts if we
>are to get the climate change message broadly disseminated - the more
>the better - and trying innovative ways. Unfortunately, one big
>obstacle I see is a lack of funding for innovative communication and
>outreach on many subjects...a difficult budget climate in general
>doesn't help.
>
>Sorry if my email came across too negative, probably due to long-
>standing frustration, but still hopeful and trying to reach that a
>broader audience.
>
>Ellen
>
>
>
>On Sep 16, 2012, at 6:47 PM, Delbeek, Charles wrote:
>
>> I remember when I was in teacher's college in 1986, by Environmental
>> Studies prof was a staunch environmentalist and champion of
>> recycling etc etc, yet he admitted that he had about given up hope
>> that the message he was preaching would ever be accepted, yet look
>> where we are now where recycling programs and "green" products and
>> technology abound ... somehow somewhere during the next 5 years or
>> so since 1986 there was a paradigm shift where all of a sudden
>> environmental awareness became the "in thing".
>>
>> I think it is far too early to give up on the climate change message.
>>
>> J. Charles Delbeek, M.Sc.
>> Assistant Curator, Steinhart Aquarium
>> California Academy of Sciences
>>
>> p 415.379.5303
>> f. 415..379.5304
>> cdelbeek at calacademy.org
>> www.calacademy.org
>>
>> 55 Music Concourse Dr.
>> Golden Gate Park
>> San Francisco CA 94118
>>
>> Prepare to be moved! Earthquake, an all-new exhibit and planetarium
>> show, is now open.
>> ..
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml..noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>> ] On Behalf Of Steve Mussman
>> Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2012 9:48 AM
>> To: Ellen Prager
>> Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Reporting Co2 to the public
>>
>>
>> Of course, Ellen is correct and her analysis clearly illustrates
>> some of the
>> reasons why the science has
>>
>> thus far proven to be inept at changing the paradigm. It appears
>> that trying
>> to advocate for effective change
>>
>> in dealing with climate change (pardon the hyperbole), is taking
>> on the
>> moral equivilency of The Battle of Thermopylae.
>>
>> There appears to be no way to prevail against the forces that be.
>> Perhaps we
>> would be better off to look at it
>>
>> as analogous to slowly turning a massive ship.
>>
>>
>> I just hope that the maneuver can be accomplished before we hit
>> the reef...
>>
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Steve
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Ellen Prager
>> Sent: Sep 15, 2012 4:06 PM
>> To: Steve Mussman
>> Cc: Douglas Fenner , "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov"
>> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Reporting Co2 to the public
>> Having worked frequently with various media outlets, including
>> the
>> network, cable news, and morning shows, this is a really tough
>> sell and
>> quite frankly highly unlikely. It is always good to try to push
>> them to
>> cover more science, but many news outlets are covering less
>> these days,
>> not more. Many have let their science correspondents go, or
>> have them
>> cover other topics instead (crime, celebrities, etc). My
>> experience is
>> that unless it is a crisis, visibly stunning, morally shocking,
>> obviously
>> high impact on the public or a fantastic gee whiz story, getting
>> science
>> on the news is quite difficult. And as has been noted, showing
>> it in a
>> way that explains why anyone should care and that is
>> understandable for
>> the broad public are obstacles as well.
>>
>> I have been trying for years to get on as an "Earth Analyst" like
>> they have
>> military or legal analysts...but alas no takers. Though I do get
>> on when
>> related crisis, events, etc occur.
>> You could pitch websites that cover science stories - Live
>> Science,
>> ScienceDaily - but those are not the audiences you are after....I
>> know.
>> Ellen
>> Dr. Ellen Prager
>> Earth2Ocean, Inc
>> Author 2011 book, Sex, Drugs, and Sea Slime: The Ocean's Oddest
>> Creatures
>> and Why They Matter
>> On Sep 15, 2012, at 1:57 PM, Steve Mussman wrote:
>>
>> Bruce Carlson's idea is brilliant, but as Doug has pointed out,
>> there are
>> some hurdles to overcome.
>> Not the least of which is how to lobby "the powers that be"
>> effectively
>> enough to get the idea implemented.
>> Perhaps some would be more receptive than others. Something
>> tells me that
>> FOX News might balk.
>> And let's not forget that there will be some powerful
>> sources of
>> advertising
>> revenue that will show force
>> on all fronts.Then comes the problem Doug alluded to of
>> educating the
>> public
>> as to the relationship
>> between CO2 concentrations and the earth's temperature. James
>> Hansen has
>> used watts per square metre
>> as a way to illustrate this forcing, but can this be
>> comprehensively
>> consumed by the general public?
>> I'm a good example of a layperson that struggled through the
>> process which
>> to be honest, required some faith.
>> Nevertheless this is too good of an idea to drop because of a
>> few
>> obstacles.
>> We should all be thinking
>> of ways to push this forward. And Bruce should get the
>> intellectual
>> property
>> rights!
>> Regards,
>> Steve
>> -----Original Message-----
>>
>> From: Douglas Fenner
>>
>> Sent: Sep 14, 2012 6:42 PM
>>
>> To: Eugene Shinn , [1]coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>>
>> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Reporting Co2 to the public
>>
>> As far as I know, reporting CO2 to the public would require
>> stating
>>
>> what the concentration of CO2 is in the atmosphere (that's what
>> the
>> Keeling
>>
>> Curve shows). It is probably normally expressed in something
>> like parts
>>
>> per million, which the public may not understand, so expressing
>> it as a
>>
>> percent as well could serve to increase public understanding of
>> that
>>
>> aspect.
>>
>> Whether CO2 should be reported as a percentage of atmospheric
>> gases
>>
>> depends on the purpose. If the purpose is to show that CO2 does
>> not drive
>>
>> temperature changes, then stressing how small the concentration
>> of CO2 is
>>
>> in the atmosphere could be used to deceive readers into thinking
>> that CO2
>>
>> is not important in climate change (and thus decrease public
>>
>> understanding). Showing how little nerve gas concentration would
>> be needed
>>
>> in the atmosphere to kill the entire human population could
>> illustrate how
>>
>> even a gas in much less concentration than CO2 could have strong
>> effects.
>>
>> The concentration of argon or even nitrogen could show that very
>> high
>>
>> concentrations of inert gases aren't necessarily toxic. What
>> should be
>>
>> included all depends on the purpose.
>>
>> Showing a figure of how much additional heat energy (such as
>> watts or
>>
>> joules) is retained in the earth due to the increases in CO2 might
>>
>> illustrate the connection between CO2 concentrations and changes
>> in mean
>>
>> global temperature. If the purpose is to protect the fossil fuel
>> industry,
>>
>> then maybe that shouldn't be included.
>>
>> Cheers, Doug
>>
>> On Fri, Sep 14, 2012 at 4:22 AM, Eugene Shinn wrote:
>>
>> Good ideas to report Co2 to the public. I suggest that the
>> graphs all
>>
>> of you have suggested also include graphs of global temperature
>>
>> change over the same period of time. Should Co2 also be reported
>> as a
>>
>> percentage of atmospheric gases? The Terry Hughes video is
>> excellent
>>
>> and truthful. Gene
>>
>> --
>>
>> No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>> -----------------------------------
>>
>> E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
>>
>> University of South Florida
>>
>> College of Marine Science Room 221A
>>
>> 140 Seventh Avenue South
>>
>> St. Petersburg, FL 33701
>>
>> Tel 727 553-1158----------------------------------
>>
>> -----------------------------------
>>
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>>
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>>
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>>
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>>
>> --
>>
>> Dept. Marine & Wildlife Resources, American Samoan Government
>>
>> PO Box 7390
>>
>> Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 USA
>>
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>
>Dr. Ellen Prager
>Earth2Ocean, Inc
>Author 2011 book, Sex, Drugs, and Sea Slime: The Ocean's Oddest
>Creatures and Why They Matter
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
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References
1. http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/06/27/study-kardashians-get-40-times-more-news-covera/186703
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