IMPLEMENTATION PLAN:

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University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Global Warming/Climate Change ProjectA Survey
of Middle High School Students
Student ResearchersMahmoud Ahmed, Drew
Christensen, Elora Leene, Wesley Meives and
Daniel PutmanFaculty MentorDr. Eric Jamelske
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Overview

• Background
• Past Research
• Motivation
• Survey and Sample
• Results
• Questions/Discussion

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Just the Facts

• Anthropogenic
• Climate
• Change
• is
• REAL!

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IPCC AR4 A State of the Planet Report

• Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as
  is now evident from observations of increases in
  global average air and ocean temperatures,
  widespread melting of snow and ice and rising
  global average sea level.
• Global atmospheric concentrations of carbon
  dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have increased
  markedly as a result of human activities since
  1750 and now far exceed pre-industrial values
  determined from ice cores spanning many thousands
  of years.
• There is very high confidence that the net
  effect of human activities since 1750 has been
  one of warming.
• Advances since the TAR show that discernible
  human influences extend beyond average
  temperature to other aspects of climate.
  Anthropogenic warming over the last three decades
  has likely had a discernible influence at the
  global scale on observed changes in many physical
  and biological systems.
• Anthropogenic warming and sea level rise would
  continue for centuries due to the time scales
  associated with climate processes and feedbacks,
  even if GHG concentrations were to be
  stabilized.

http//www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/publicati
ons_ipcc_fourth_assessment_report_synthesis_report
.htm
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Scientific Consensus on Climate Change

• Reviews of scientific literature and surveys of
  climate scientists indicate striking agreement,
  anthropogenic GHG have been responsible for
  most of the unequivocal warming of the
  Earths average global temperature over the
  second half of the 20th century. -
  Anderegg et al. (2010)
• Despite claims sometimes made by some groups
  that there is not good evidence that Earth's
  climate is being affected by human activities,
  the scientific community is in overwhelming
  agreement that such evidence is clear and
  persuasive. - Oreskes (2004)

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With all of the hysteria, all of the fear, all
of the phony science, could it be that man-made
global warming is the greatest hoax ever
perpetrated on the American people? It sure
sounds like it. 12/28/2003
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Why Didn't the U.S. Sign the Kyoto Treaty?

• Much of the reason that the US Senate failed to
  ratify the Kyoto Protocol was due to lobbying
  efforts by right-wing groups including
  conservative foundations, think tanks, media, and
  public intellectuals (Dunlap et al., 2008).

http//unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng.pdf
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President Obama promised to begin to slow the
rise of the oceans And to heal the planet My
promise is to help you and your family. 8/30/2012
More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a
joke.My plan will continue to reduce the carbon
pollution that is heating our planet. Because
climate change is not a hoax. 9/6/2012
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Previous Research

• Pew Research Center (2008)
• Dunlap and McCright (2008)
• Feldman et al. (2010)
• Rabe and Borick (2010)
• Villar and Krosnik. (2010)
• Leiserowitz et al. (2011)
• Majority of Americans believe climate
  change/global warming is real, but less support
  for anthropogenic causes
• Confusion about science and disengagement from
  policy, there is a political divide

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Previous Research

• Jamelske, Barrett and Boulter (2012a, 2012b)
• US college students similar to other research
  findings
• Confused about science, disengaged from policy
  and divided politically, the economy is a
  priority
• By comparison, Chinese college students much more
  aware and concerned by every measure regarding
  climate change/global warming issues, environment
  and economy of equal importance

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A flash point has emerged in American science
education that echoes the battle over evolution,
as scientists and educators report mounting
resistance to the study of man-made climate
change in middle and high schools.
Although scientific evidence increasingly shows
that fossil fuel consumption has caused the
climate to change rapidly, the issue has grown so
politicized that skepticism of the broad
scientific consensus has seeped into classrooms.
Tribune Washington Bureau, Sacramento Bee,
1/17/2012
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Our Survey

• What do middle/high school children think about
  global warming?
• Is global warming happening?
• Is it anthropogenic?
• Level of risk/concern?
• What does science say?
• What are the impacts?
• Sources of learning/information?
• Yale/George Mason Project on Climate Change
  Communication

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Our Sample

• 545 middle and high school students from Western
  Wisconsin
• Convenience sample, university connections,
  science classes
• Sample size varies due to non-response on some
  questions

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Initial Statement

• Recently, you may have noticed that global
  warming has been getting some attention in the
  news. Global warming refers to the idea that the
  worlds average temperature has been increasing
  over the past 150 years, may be increasing more
  in the future, and the worlds climate may change
  as a result

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ResultsA Preliminary Look at the Data
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Is Global Warming Happening?
What is Causing Global Warming?
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Is Global Warming Happening?
What is Causing Global Warming?
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Is Global Warming Happening?(View of Science)
What is Causing Global Warming?(View of
Science)
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Is Global Warming Happening?(View of Science)
What is Causing Global Warming?(View of
Science)
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How Concerned Are You AboutGlobal Warming?
How Much Risk of Harm Does Global Warming Pose
to Humans ?
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Comparing Responses by Grade
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Comparing Responses by Grade
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Comparing Responses by Grade
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What Are the Three Most Important Issues for
Society?
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What Are the Three Most Important Environmental
Issues for Society?
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Comparing Responses by Grade
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( YES) What Events Have Been Affected by Global
Warming?
P lt 0.01, Grades 8, 9, 10
P lt 0.01, Grades 8, 9, 10
P lt 0.01, Grades 8, 9, 10
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Hurricane Sandy!
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Hurricane Sandy!
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Will Climate Change Get Some Respect Now?

• "You can't say any one single event is reflective
  of climate change," William Solecki, the
  co-chairman of the New York City Panel on Climate
  Change, told me. "But it's illustrative of the
  conditions and events and scenarios that we
  expect with climate change."
• In that sense, whatever its causes, Sandy offers
  a window into the way ahead.
• The storm took 55 lives in the U.S., and initial
  estimates of damages and losses run in the range
  of 30 to 50 billion.

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Conservatives Use "Snowmageddon" to Mock Global
Warming

• "In reality, winter snows do not invalidate the
  reality that the planet just experienced the
  hottest decade on record. Scientists have been
  warning for decades that global warming would
  increase the severity of winter storms."

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Is Climate Change Causing This Drought?

• The best single reference on this topic is the
  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
  (IPCC).

• Droughts have multiple causes. The US has
  suffered worse droughts in the past. Its not yet
  clear whether weve reached the point where
  global warming is making droughts worse again, at
  least in North America. But evidence suggests
  that droughts will become more intense in many
  parts of the world if the planet keeps heating up
  a trend that could disrupt the worlds food
  supply.

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• The Arctic is warming even faster than other
  parts of the planet, and the rapidly melting ice
  is causing alarm among scientists about sea-level
  rise. In northeastern Greenland, average yearly
  temperature have risen 4.5 degrees in the past 15
  years, and scientists predict the area could warm
  by 14 to 21 degrees by the end of the century.

A Melting Greenland Weighs Perils Against
Potential
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Where Have You Learned About Global Warming?
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Where Have You Learned About Global Warming?
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Where Have You Learned About Global Warming?

• School Statistically Significant, many more 9th
  and 10th graders say they have learned a lot
  about global warming in school
• Television Not Statistically Significant, but
  more 6th and 7th graders say they have learned a
  lot about global warming from TV

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What About Girls vs. Boys?
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What About Girls vs. Boys?
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Whats Next?
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Future Work

• More surveys across grades 6 - 12
• Student focus groups
• Science teacher surveys and focus groups
• More thorough analysis
• Our CHILDREN are our FUTURE!

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Future Work

• What should schools teach about climate change?
• When should our children be taught about change?
• Who will determine the curriculum?
• National Center for Science Education
• Cooperative Institute for Research in
  Environmental Sciences
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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Questions/Discussion