Thoussands of trees are dying in the forests of south-west Australia, due to insect attack and other causes. I grew up in the south-west of Australia, so the recent story on ABC's Catalyst science program about large-scale tree deaths in the Marri (Red Gum), Jarrah and Tuart forests of the south-west was more than just interesting, it was distressing. According to Prof Giles Hardy of Murdoch University: Last summer was the hottest, driest … [Read more...]
Can greater public understanding of science change opinions about climate change?
Summary: A recent study concludes that individuals with greater scientific comprehension tend to apply that skill in ways that reinforce their existing value commitments. This is an example of what is known as motivated reasoning. Ironically, a 'skeptical' climate change blogger misconstrues the study to claim that it supports the cause of climate change skeptics (read denialists), when in fact precisely the opposite is the case. Now read … [Read more...]
Taoism and climate change
Daoism is a wisdom tradition in which humans seek to act in harmony with the Dao, or the way of nature. For Daoism, humankind is the mediating figure between heaven and earth. In this relationship between humans, heaven and earth, the responsibility of humans is to act in accordance with the Dao, rather than to disrupt or contravene the Dao. Out of this premise, might it be possible to draw some conclusions in relation to the great ethical … [Read more...]
Planetary alarm bells, and those who ignore them
The plantetary alarm bells are ringing, but climate change denialists claim they hear nothing. It is good to see that there are some philosophers thinking about how climate denialism should be treated in the public sphere. In a helpful series of posts, the contributors to the Climate Ethics blog have distinguished between legitimate scientific skepticism and a climate change disinformation campaign. See particularly the posting by Donald … [Read more...]