Jason NHS Global Warming Documentary

Here are some summaries of some extra articles that I have come across during the project.

Polar Bears: Protected But Not Safe  by Bryan Walsh

After about one year of debate, the Bush Administration announced that polar bears have joined the list as a threatened species, under the Endangered Species Act. However, as mentioned in the article, this means nothing. Even though most of the polar bears’ land is receding due to warming temperature, the threat to polar bears and the extinction of the polar bears, only means something if individuals care enough. By placing polar bears on the list as a threatened specie, polar bears will not all of a sudden cause polar bears to thrive again. The reason polar bears are dying is not due to the direct action upon them, it is because of the climate changed sparked by humans–which means the effects of humans are harming the bears. So, humans have indirectly effected the bears. In order for the bears to not die, climate change must be fought–and this is what we are doing with our documentary.

How Green is John McCain

As the article states, “After nearly eight years of President George W. Bush’s disastrous environmental policy, Attila the Hun would have looked green by comparison. “  In comparison, McCain is lacking in environmental votes when compared to Obama and Clinton. In the past few years, climate change is become a hotter issue (no pun intended) as well as the policies and controvesrsey around it. Thats why, in the coming election, the environment will play a determining role in who receives the nomination and the election. Most hopefully, McCain was realistic about the need for the U.S. to take the lead internationally on cutting carbon emissions, even without other major industrializing nations. “If the efforts to negotiate an international solution that includes China and India do not succeed, we still have an obligation to act,” he said. His policies may not quite match his words, but McCain showed that inaction on warming is no longer an option in presidential politics.

One Voice in a Billion: Changing the Climate in China

I found this article to be particularly interesting because it was focused on a 16 year old, trying to warn others of climate change–just like our class.  However, this certain individual–Taylor Francis–has committed himself (after seeing Al Gore’s movie) to ending climate change in other countries. Also, interestingly enough, he is the youngest person to be trained to give Al Gore’s speech. Presenting in China will be a challenge, and not just because Francis will have to make use of a translator. The Chinese view the politics of climate change in a fundamentally different way than much of the developed world. We’ve had our time to grow rapidly, pollute and clean up, but China is just starting. We think of greenhouse gas emissions as something perhaps easy to limit — just get those better lights and better cars. But for China, those vastly accelerating greenhouse gas emissions are just another measurement of how life is getting better for more and more Chinese in the cities: more cars, more electricity, more gadgets, more stuff, all of which carry a greenhouse gas cost. I think it is fascinating how some individuals go to such lengths for passions.