Science Vs Pseudoscience

Part A

Question 1

            The news about climate change solar and the wind are promoted by the media. The video shows that the media promote the use of the wind and solar energy on the basis of fear rather than scientific facts. Second, the video indicates that media provide platforms for debates where people can discuss issues related to climate change. For example, news about warming trends is how media promote news about climate change.

Question 2

The spreading of the message of doubt started in a conference held in Long Island; where individuals witnessed the skeptics building on the message of doubt about climate change. The skeptics usually tell individuals that no warming trend exists for the past ten years. Also, they point that no long-term warming trends exist currently. For example, Dessler a scientist pointed out that individuals can try to experiment with available data related to global warming and will end up not getting any global warming results. However, Dessler argued that people are supposed to carry out the experiment on warming from home applying the concept of complex charts. Using the complex chart, Dessler indicated that temperatures were decreasing.

 On the other hand, Gavin Schmidt has pointed out that cooling trends can be found after a period of every ten years, and this appears to be a pseudoscience argument. Gavin explained the cooling trends recorded from 1958 to 1987, in what is known as the "going down the up escalator" argument. However, a close look at the data indicates the argument is incorrect as the warming trend have been going up instead of down as argued by Gavin. Also, the Oregon petition is pseudoscience in nature, as it is based on common beliefs, rather than on the basis of renowned scientific evidence and facts on the issue of global warming.

Question 3

            The motivation associated with climate change denial is aimed at deceiving the public that industrial and other related human activities do not contribute to climate change as argued by science, and this aids in reducing any campaign or action related to climate change in the society. The main aim is persuading is that human activities, such as the use of fossil fuel in the transportation industry do not in any way contribute to climate change. The people behind the pseudoscience arguments concerning climate change are climate scientists, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Fred Singer, founder of science and environmental policy project and veteran scientists. These individuals are well educated and very informative, as they have carried a lot of research and studies in the field of climate change. They have a vast experience in the field of climate change have spent years doing research and debating on issues related to this subject. The industries quoted in the video as being highly involved in climate change denial are fossil fuel firms, such as Peabody Coal and Exxon Mobil. The key players involved in the climate change denial debate include politicians, such as U.S senators and group of scientists

Question 4

            Failed North Carolina legislation to “Legislate climate change out of existence” was a win for the skeptics. The skeptics won the fight as they provided falsified information concerning climate change. The information the skeptics provide was in denial of any climate change by giving facts that are not scientific in nature. The next course of action would be to ensure that public campaigns concerning the impact of climate change caused by human activities are intensified to win against the strong campaigns being financed by skeptics against the control of human activities that cause climate change in the world. The move would play a central role in winning against the false and inaccurate information being provided by skeptics in North Carolina and other parts of the world concerning climate change.

Question 5

            The web of denial is a campaign against people who spread misinformation about climate change. The people spread information that certain human activities do not contribute to climate change with an objective of protecting their financial and business interests, such as fossil fuel companies, transportation companies, and others. In reality, the information they provide is not true but aimed at misleading the public to accept that human activities do not contribute to causing climate change, but the issues such as global warming occur due to natural processes. The U.S Senators are taking actions of supporting the Senate Web of Denial Resolution to protect the general public welfare. The main aim is to ensure that companies and scientists stop providing misleading information that cannot be proven scientifically. The aim of the Senate is to ensure that companies provide scientific facts and evidence concerning their claims of human activities not contributing in causing climate change. The action of the Senate is to ensure that firms do not mislead the public into believing false information so as to protect their financial and business interests. Thus, the Senate wants groups to base their climate change arguments and information on facts that are scientifically proven.