As Earth Hour swept across the globe two weekends ago, I became curious about how the event was being reported and took to the Internet. But the more sites I visited, the more I became fascinated not with the coverage, but with the reader comments.
When it comes to global climate change, the degree of factual misunderstanding among the general public is staggering. Claims, counter claims, misinformation and the complexity of the subject create such a swirl of confusion that it’s difficult for many citizens to know which is which.
How does the average person sort through it all? How can we educate ourselves to the point that we can intelligently and convincingly discuss the issues on the basis of evidence and understanding?
A great place to start is with Understanding and Responding to Climate Change, a 28-page pdf report published in 2008 by the independent and highly-regarded National Academies.
Illustrated and written in layman’s terms, it provides an overview of the science supporting climate change, as well as its causes, implications and what we can do to address them.
The cost? Just a mouse-click.
