Talk of climate change and global warming has gained worldwide attention, and the School of Natural Resources has created a class to educate University of Nebraska-Lincoln students about the issues.
The course is called "Climate in Crisis?" and is intended to provide students of all levels and backgrounds with an awareness of global climate change and a basic knowledge of the science behind the arguments.
The course will be taught by James Swinehart, a professor of geology, and Ken Dewey, a professor and research climatologist.
Swinehart said the impetus for creating the course was provided by Don Wilhite, the director of the School of Natural Resources. Wilhite had been the director and founder of the National Drought Mitigation Center at UNL prior to his directorship and has been involved with drought-related climate issues for most of his career.
Sudden, severe changes in the climate are part of life, Swinehart said, and they generally correspond to a "tipping point," after which the climate changes drastically in a short period of time.
"The average student or person needs to know something about climate change," Dewey said. "We're not going to blind the students with science. We're going to describe the science."
A recently published book, Dewey said, is perfect match for the class. The book, "The Rough Guide to Climate Change: Symptoms, Science, and Solutions" by Robert Henson, covers the basics and is balanced, he said.
Balance is one issue key to climate change, and Swinehart said there is a difference between skeptics and "contrarians."
Skepticism is a normal part of life, he said, but some want to avoid the issue completely.
Swinehart said the majority of scientists agree with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which said in its most recent report that there is 90 percent certainty that humans are a significant factor in global warming.
Swinehart said an important point to make about global warming is that it's not just that temperatures are rising globally, but it is also the hastening rate of temperature increases.
Swinehart and Dewey said they both would like to see a cross-section of students enrolled in the spring semester class, including future teachers, who, they said, could be instrumental in spreading knowledge about global climate change.
okleygibbs@dailynebraskan.com
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