Global Carbon Cycle and Global Warming

Human activity, including burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and buring trees, has altered the global carbon cycle. This alternation of the global carbon cycle is the proposed cause of global climate change (global warming).

Obviously, global climate change is a very imporant issue facing us today. If you are alive and paying any attention, then you probably know that there is some disgreement out there about (1) whether global warming is occuring, (2) if it is occuring is it a natural occurence or is it caused by humans, and (3)what should we as individuals and a society do about these issues. As I mentioned in class, it is very important that you understand what components of the debate are facts and what components of the debate are based on mathematical models or other forms of argument. I think that it is important that you should be able to explain to other people why scientists will never be able to conduct the experiment that will nail down whether or not humans are causing global warming (we have only one earth).

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation about this topic. For example, on Thursday February 5th there was a letter to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal about global warming that clearyly contained some misstatements of fact. I think that it is important for you to have access to good information. Here are some links to what I consider to be some of the best and most reliable sources of information about this topic. Although some of these articles go into much more detail than are required for this class you should know where to find reliable information about this topic.

Further Reading

Carbon cycle- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Carbon_cycle

Global warming- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warming

Global warming Frequenty Asked Questions- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_warming_frequently_asked_questions

Climate change FAQ- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Climate_change_FAQs

Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Intergovernmental_Panel_on_Climate_Change_%28IPCC%29

IPCC Assessment for Policymakers- http://www.eoearth.org/article/IPCC_Fourth_Assessment_Report%2C_Working_Group_I%3A_Summary_for_Policymakers


Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- diagram the global carbon cycle
- discuss how humans have altered the global carbon cycle
- discuss how the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide varies annually
- discuss the proposed relationship between human caused changes in the global carbon cycle and global warming
- discuss alternative causes of global warming
- discuss the experiment that would be required to determine whether or not human activity is the cause of global warming
- articulate and defend their own personal view of how they intend to deal with the global warming issue

Saturday Update

The Saturday(February 7, 2009) issue of the Lubbock Avalance Journal contains another letter to the editor talking about global warming. The letter right refers reader to a site, www.petitionproject.org, where they claim that over 30,000 scientists (9000 of them have Ph. D.s) have signed a petition "firmly disagreeing with global warming theory". I would be interested in what you guys thought about the information available on this site relative to the info on the posts I have listed above.