NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2013/03/08

(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)

Dear friends of NCSE,

The young-earth creationist Duane T. Gish is dead. A new report from
NCSE discusses how to improve climate and energy literacy in the
United States over the next decade. Plus a preview of Peter D. Ward's
The Flooded Earth; Zack Kopplin is interviewed on Moyers and Friends;
Kansas's "strengths and weaknesses" bill aimed at climate science is
dead; and NCSE's Glenn Branch discusses the provenance of antiscience
bills at DeSmogBlog.

DUANE T. GISH DIES

The young-earth creationist Duane T. Gish died on March 5, 2013, at
the age of 92, according to Answers in Genesis's obituary. Born on
February 17, 1921, in White City, Kansas, he served in the U.S. Army
from 1940 to 1946 in the Pacific Theater of Operations, attaining the
rank of captain. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from the University of
California, Los Angeles, in 1949, and then a Ph.D. from the University
of California, Berkeley, in 1953. After a stint as a postdoctoral
fellow and then assistant professor of biochemistry at Cornell
University Medical College, he returned as a researcher to the
University of California, Berkeley, from 1956 to 1960, before joining
the Upjohn Company as a researcher from 1960 to 1971. In 1971, he
became the vice president of the Institute for Creation Research,
founded in 1970 by Henry Morris. In 2005, Gish retired, becoming the
ICR's Senior Vice President Emeritus. A prolific writer, his most
famous book was Evolution: The Fossils Say No! (Master Books, 1973),
entitled in later editions Evolution: The Challenge of the Fossil
Record (Master Books, 1985) and Evolution: The Fossils Still Say No!
(Master Books, 1995). His most recent book was Letter to a Theistic
Evolutionist (ICON, 2012).

But Gish was famous, or notorious, principally on account of his
debates with scientists, including such opponents as George Bakken,
Kenneth R. Miller, Massimo Pigliucci, Kenneth Saladin, Michael
Shermer, and William Thwaites. "If the mild-mannered professorial
Morris was the Darwin of the creationist movement," wrote Ronald L.
Numbers in The Creationists (2006), "then the bumptious Gish was its
T. H. Huxley." Gish boasted of having engaged in over three hundred
debates. He was certainly a lively debater, whose style involved a
rapid delivery of arguments on widely varying topics; his debate style
was dubbed the "Gish Gallop" by NCSE's executive director Eugenie C.
Scott in 1994. But scientists quickly concluded -- in the words of
Karl Fezer, writing in 1993 -- that "Gish will say, with rhetorical
flourish and dramatic emphasis, whatever he thinks will serve to
maintain, in the minds of his uncritical followers, his image as a
knowledgeable 'creation scientist.' An essential component is to lard
his remarks with technical detail; whether that detail is accurate or
relevant or based on unambiguous evidence is of no concern. When
confronted with evidence of his own error, he resorts to diversionary
tactics and outright denial."

For Answers in Genesis's obituary, visit:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2013/03/06/gish-home 

For Scott's "Debates and the Globetrotters," visit:
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/debating/globetrotters.html 

For Fezer's "Creation's Incredible Witness" (PDF, pp. 5-21), visit:
http://ncse.com/files/pub/CEJ/pdfs/CEJ_33.pdf 

"TOWARD A CLIMATE & ENERGY LITERATE SOCIETY"

A new report issued by the National Center for Science Education,
"Toward a Climate & Energy Literate Society," offers recommendations
for improving climate and energy literacy in the United States over
the course of the next decade. As NCSE's Mark McCaffrey remarked in a
March 4, 2013, press release announcing the report, "We have lots of
information about climate change, but much of it is falling on deaf
ears"; "Toward a Climate & Energy Literate Society" is intended to
provide a way forward. As the executive summary explains:

***

Understanding the causes of and responding to climate change is the
major challenge of the 21st century. Most Americans do not understand
the basics of climate change and energy or how they are inextricably
connected, yet informed decisions, a prepared workforce, and risk
reductions are not possible without a clear understanding of these
topics. Research shows that in general those who have a basic
understanding of the science are more concerned with addressing
climate change (Leiserowitz 2010, 2011, Miller 2012). Moreover,
improving society's climate and energy literacy should be a top
priority addressed through science education and through a range of
other education, communication, and outreach strategies.

To counter the scientific illiteracy standing in the way of meeting
these urgent 21st-century challenges, a group of fifty leaders in the
climate and energy community gathered in Berkeley, California, between
December 7 and 9, 2012, to participate in the Climate and Energy
Literacy Summit hosted by the National Center for Science Education.
The attendees included climate, energy, education, technology, and
research experts, curriculum developers, philanthropists, science
journalists, representatives from climate- and energy-related
non-profits and professional societies, federal and state agencies,
and the National Academy of Sciences.

The goal of the Summit was to identify ways "to substantially and
measurably improve climate and energy literacy to provide society and
the next generation with the scientific foundation to take informed
actions to minimize climate impacts and prepare for changes that are
already well underway."

Participants agreed that many components already exist to forge a
national climate and energy literacy initiative, but substantial
challenges remain in terms of coordination, training and funding.
Following are key recommendations of the Summit:

* Create a national initiative using the Collective Impact approach
for effective partnership by developing a common agenda, shared
measures, engaging in reinforcing activities and continuous
communication, and having a supporting infrastructure;
* Significantly expand through private funding the availability of
existing high-quality climate and energy related education,
communication, and outreach programs;
* Emphasize teaching climate change and energy topics throughout
education, which is vital to establishing a strong foundation for
future decisions and in fostering resilient communities;
* Build on existing resources and frameworks, including the U.S.
Global Change Research Program's Climate Literacy and Energy Literacy
documents (see Appendix II);
* Support the climate and energy-related aspects of the forthcoming
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS);
* Collaborate with key programs and partners, including the 100K in 10
initiative, which aims to recruit and prepare 100,000 science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers in ten years;
* Maximize the potential for digital learning opportunities, including
online courses, educational gaming and the use of digital badges and
certification;
* Identify and address the education, communications, and outreach
needs of underserved and vulnerable communities relative to these
topics;
* Conduct a national survey to determine whether, where, and how
climate change and energy topics are taught in formal education; and
* Anticipate and effectively respond to denial and manufactured doubt
about climate change.

***

"It's easier said than done," NCSE's Minda Berbeco commented in the
press release. "The challenges are considerable in terms of
coordination, training, and funding." But NCSE's executive director
Eugenie C. Scott insisted that the task is vital: "With climate change
the major challenge of the 21st century, it is imperative to ensure
that the current generation of K-12 and college students are equipped
with the best scientific information available to help them make the
crucial decisions about climate and energy policy that they will have
to make."

For "Toward a Climate & Energy Literate Society" (PDF), visit:
http://ncse.com/files/pub/evolution/NCSE%20Climate%20and%20Energy%20Literacy%20Summit%20Report.pdf 

For the press release, visit:
http://ncse.com/climate/summit-americans-illiterate-climate-change-want-to-know-more 

A PREVIEW OF THE FLOODED EARTH

NCSE is pleased to offer a free preview of Peter D. Ward's The Flooded
Earth: Our Future in a World Without Ice Caps (Basic Books, 2010). The
preview consists of the beginning of chapter 8, "Stopping Catastrophic
Sea Rise," in which Ward concludes "this not overly cheerful book with
some specific strategies that, if successfully employed, could indeed
give us hope that the ice sheets will not uncontrollably melt and that
the seas will not catastrophically rise."

The reviewer for Science Communication praised The Flooded Earth as
"packed with information to explain how the path we are on increases
CO2 levels and can create a flooded earth. It should be required
reading for political decision makers everywhere." and the reviewer
for Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research described it as "an
excellent reference for the educated lay person." Peter D. Ward is
Professor of Biology and Earth and Space Sciences at the University of
Washington in Seattle.

For the preview of The Flooded Earth (PDF), visit:
http://ncse.com/book-excerpt 

For information about the book from its publisher, visit:
http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/basic/book_detail.jsp?isbn=0465029051 

ZACK KOPPLIN ON BILL MOYERS

Zack Kopplin, the young activist behind the initiative to repeal
Louisiana's antievolution law and the effort to expose the funding of
creationism through vouchers-for-private-schools schemes nationally,
was interviewed on Moyers and Company -- and the segment is now
viewable on line.

In the interview, Kopplin explained the genesis of the so-called
Louisiana Science Education Act: "Senator Ben Nevers, who sponsored
it, said the Louisiana Family Forum suggested the law to him because
they wanted creationism discussed when talking about Darwin's theory.
So we know from the horse's mouth exactly what this law is about."

After the law was passed and enacted, Kopplin recounted, "for about
two years I sort of stewed over this law. I wanted to fight it." Then
he decided to do so as part of a senior project in high school,
enlisting the help of Barbara Forrest (a member of NCSE's board of
directors), Karen Carter Peterson, a state senator in Louisiana, and
-- by now -- no fewer than seventy-eight Nobel laureates in science.

Explaining why his activism came to extend to voucher schools, Kopplin
told Moyers, "I didn't initially really care about school vouchers ...
And then ... a friend sent me an article by Alternet that had exposed
a school in Louisiana in this voucher program that was apparently
using curriculum that taught the Loch Ness Monster disproved
evolution, and the Loch Ness Monster was real."

Researching the use of creationist materials in voucher schools,
Kopplin concluded that "over 300 schools in voucher programs in nine
states and Washington DC are teaching creationism. We have schools
that call evolution the way of the heathen. And so it's become pretty
clear if you create a voucher program, you're just going to be funding
creationism through the back door."

In recognition of his defense of the integrity of science education,
Kopplin received NCSE's Friend of Darwin award, the Hugh M. Hefner
First Amendment Award, and the inaugural Troublemaker Award in 2012. A
history major at Rice University, he is nineteen years old.

For the interview of Kopplin, visit:
http://billmoyers.com/segment/zack-kopplin-on-keeping-creationism-out-of-public-classrooms/ 

For the Friend of Darwin announcement in 2012, visit:
http://ncse.com/news/2012/03/friend-darwin-awards-2012-0013872 

And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in Louisiana, visit:
http://ncse.com/news/louisiana 

ANTICLIMATE BILL DIES IN KANSAS

Kansas's House Bill 2306, a "strengths and weaknesses" bill aimed at
climate science alone, died on March 1, 2013, when a deadline for
bills to be considered in their house of origin passed. If enacted, HB
2306 would have expressed the legislature's recognition that "the
teaching of certain scientific topics, such as climate science, may be
controversial" and encouraged "the teaching of such scientific
controversies to be made in an objective manner in which both the
strengths and weaknesses of such scientific theory or hypothesis are
covered."

According to the state legislature's website, HB 2306 was introduced
by the House Standing Committee on Education, rather than by any
individual legislator. Saying that the sponsors "fancy themselves
scientists who think that public school teachers should question
prevailing scientific opinion on climate change," the Hutchinson News
(February 20, 2013) editorially commented, "In a session that has seen
some wacko ideas, this one is out there." The editorial concluded by
urging, "Leave the science to scientists and the teaching to
teachers."

For the text of Kansas's House Bill 2306 (PDF), visit:
http://kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2306_00_0000.pdf 

For the editorial in the Hutchinson News, visit:
http://www.hutchnews.com/Editorialblogs/edit-teaching-climate-change 

NCSE'S BRANCH AT DESMOGBLOG

What is the source of the antiscience bills that have been infesting
statehouses around the country? In "Not Smart, But Not ALEC Either,"
posted on DeSmogBlog (February 28, 2013), NCSE's deputy director Glenn
Branch explains that although the American Legislative Exchange
Council is sometimes blamed for having drafted a model bill that
inspired antiscience bills like Arizona's Senate Bill 1213, "the bill
is, historically, a manifestation not of antienvironmentalism but of
antievolutionism."

"It's not as though ALEC isn't interested in undermining the teaching
of climate science in the public schools," Branch acknowledges. "But
so far there is no clear evidence" of ALEC's involvement with any of
the current crop of antiscience bills, "while there is ample evidence
that the Discovery Institute is actively encouraging their
introduction and supporting their passage." In any case, he insists,
it is clear that "these bills, if enacted, would compromise the
quality of science education."

For Branch's post at DeSmogBlog, visit:
http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/02/28/not-smart-not-alec-either 

Thanks for reading. And don't forget to visit NCSE's website --
http://ncse.com -- where you can always find the latest news on 
evolution and climate education and threats to them.

-- 
Sincerely,

Glenn Branch
Deputy Director
National Center for Science Education, Inc.
420 40th Street, Suite 2
Oakland, CA 94609-2509
510-601-7203 x305
fax: 510-601-7204
800-290-6006
branch@ncse.com 
http://ncse.com 

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