Who Cares?

[Carol Landis]

(Below is most of a blog of the same title posted on May 17th, 2011 by Earle Holland in Research News at Ohio State, but I've added a slightly different ending.)

Quoting Earle:

"Among those who do science (as well as those of us who cheer from the sidelines) the loss of public interest in recent years robs the soul.

Many scientists, fueled by a curiosity that blossomed in childhood about how the world works, are driven to understand, to know and decipher, and to unravel nature’s mysteries.  And like most humans with passionate feelings, they feel the need to share what they’ve learned.

Sadly, it seems, few among the public care.

About the facts, that is . . . fewer people seem to care about the facts when forming their opinions on issues involving science and public policy.  Through the last decade, we’ve seen this happen repeatedly where the rate at which science reveals new facts constantly increases while the intensity of disbelief among the public grows as well.

It’s almost as if there is an inverse relationship [science-speak] between new knowledge and support of it.  Biological evolution, stem cell research, genetically modified organisms – all have seen this quandary, but nowhere more than with climate change.

Polls continue to show an ever-decreasing acceptance among the public that the climate is changing and that humans are playing a big role in that change, in spite of the fact that the evidence grows stronger and stronger by the week.

Two cases in point . . .

Earlier this month, the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences released a report on the “Fate of Mountain Glaciers in the Anthropocene,” based on discussions from a two-day conference in April attended by some of the world’s leading climate scientists. 

The report recommended specific actions:  Reducing carbon dioxide emissions worldwide immediately; reducing soot, methane, ozone and other atmospheric pollutants by up to 50 percent, and beginning the hard challenges of adapting to the societal changes that the altered climate has caused, and will cause in the future.

In essence, the science advisory group for the Pope of the Catholic Church, with its more than 1 billion believers, said that climate change was real and we need to do something about it!  And while the report’s findings got some news coverage, it paled in comparison to coverage of other topics like the latest on Charlie Sheen or the hacking into the Playstation network.

A few days later, America’s National Research Council, a study arm of the National Academy of Sciences, released its own report, “America’s Climate Choices,” which offered assessments and recommendations similar to those in the Vatican’s report.  The NRC report echoed the call for immediate action to reduce climate change and adapt to what has happened already.

And yet this report also floundered in news coverage compared to reporting on the latest fad or celebrity.

All of this comes at a time when scientists are being admonished to “go public,” to reach out to the population and, in a sense, force-feed the latest science findings to people who seem oblivious and disinterested.

Why should they? 

Most rational folk, when asked, agree with the general idea that science functions in support of humanity and society, that it is a worthwhile calling and one our culture should foster.  But at the same time, all too many of those same folks will discount the new knowledge science offers when it conflicts with their own beliefs, or with their own vested interests."

 

Earle's next paragraph reads: "They will stick their fingers in their ears and claim not to hear.  And we can do little to change that."

 

I submitted a comment to his post at OSU, noting that there's a significant effort by many people to heed the call from their faith to be good stewards of Earth. We are certainly part of the general public, and I resist the notion that little attention is being paid to this information..other than in the media. Rather, I think many people are focused on the immediate needs of family and friends who are really struggling. We need leaders in every faith group who can help to keep our eyes and minds focused on the gifts we've been given, our obligation to care for them, and the collective effects of human activities. We will reap what we sow.

I will add that some people think that climate change is slow and something to worry about in the future. I disagree. The climate situation is "here and now", and many people are stepping up to the challenge. Acting sooner than later will be important.