The Science of Global Warming

Objectives

I teach in a health science and business magnet school and my students frequently question why science is a necessary subject when many of them are business majors. As if these two subjects have no relationship and an individual in the business world will not benefit from a strong foundation in science. I am not sure where this misconception stems from. It is a statement that I have been posed year after year and it is a constant effort to clarify their misunderstanding of these parallel subjects. After all the main exports of the United States is knowledge and technology. Our present economy thrives on the discoveries of science. Our economy is generating billions in the sales of scientific products. When one thinks about it is quite obvious that a career can be quite lucrative in the marriage of business and science. Problems arise in our society when there is a lack of a strong science education background. Uninformed individuals in political and business sectors are responsible for making decisions that have impacts on our environment and well being. Well educated students will be well educated adults. It is for these reasons that I take on the task of enlightening these young adults who will have an influence on policy in the near future.

This unit is intended as a cross disciplinary approach to the science of global warming. It is meant to educate the high school community as a whole on the effects of sea level rise, a forecasted phenomenon with the onset of global warming, to our environment and economy. By educating our schools' population I hope that students will understand that an immediate decrease in CO ₂ emissions will positively affect our economy and environmental health. My idea is that they will relay this understanding to family members creating a larger consciousness for the importance of environmental health and biodiversity. In a world of diverse opinions people are often swayed to follow what popular belief the media provide. In a recent study Dr. Orekes at the University of San Diego noticed that 53 % of popular press articles discredited the idea that humans were contributing to global warming. When looking at the number of peer-reviewed scientific articles on climate change, 0 % was in doubt that humans had an influence in global warming. With this being said I ask why would not people discredit the stance on global warming? It is for this reason that this unit is designed to educate our community so that they will understand what is occurring in our world. It is my way to create an understanding in the community that I live in, enabling my neighbors to think for themselves in making conscious decisions about their lifestyle which has an effect on us all.

My goal is that math, science, language arts and business teachers will integrate into a lesson how the science of global warming is related to their subject. The topics covered in each class will then be used in the school wide Earth Day event in which all students will have a role in participating. The Earth Day event is designed to introduce the science of global warming while highlighting sea level rise as the main theme. By incorporating each student and teacher in this task, there will be more of an impact and appreciation for the event and for their future impact on the Earth.