NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2015/01/09
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2015-01-09 15:29.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear friends of NCSE, A preview of James McClintock's Lost Antarctica. And a spate of reaction to West Virginia's undermining of climate science in its new state science standards.
A GLIMPSE OF LOST ANTARCTICA NCSE is pleased to offer a free preview of James McClintock's Lost Antarctica: Adventures in a Disappearing Land (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014). The preview consists of chapter 2, "It is All about the Ice." "The ecological impacts of rapid climate change on the marine life of the Antarctic Peninsula are inseparably linked with the environment and geography," McClintock explains. "With rare clarity, humor, high adventure and deep, sobering insight, gifted scientist-explorer-writer James McClintock shares decades of experience on, around and under the wildest ocean on Earth. Every person alive should read -- and heed -- this riveting account of the swift changes now sweeping Antarctica -- and the world. If Indiana Jones were a marine biologist, he would aspire to be James McClintock," writes Sylvia Earle. For the preview of Lost Antarctica (PDF), visit: http://ncse.com/book-excerpt For information about the book from its publisher, visit: http://us.macmillan.com/lostantarctica/jamesmcclintock OUTRAGE IN WEST VIRGINIA "Groups that support teaching students about the evidence showing that humans are contributing to a global rise in temperatures are speaking out against West Virginia's changes to the state's new K-12 science education standards," reports the Charleston Gazette (January 4, 2015). As NCSE previously reported, the board asked for changes to the Next Generation Science Standards to downplay climate change. Wade Linger, a member of the board, told the Gazette (December 28, 2014), "We're on this global warming binge going on here," adding, "We need to look at all the theories about it." Among the groups denouncing the changes was NCSE. Mark McCaffrey contributed a column to the Gazette (January 4, 2015), observing, "On climate, the standards follow the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education, which in turn reflect the consensus of the scientific community." But, he explained, the revisions compromise the scientific integrity of the NGSS, misrepresenting the facts and conveying "the misrepresentation that climate change is scientifically controversial." He concluded, "the board's revisions to the standards undermine the quality of West Virginia's public education system." Jim Probst, West Virginia's state coordinator for Citizens Climate Lobby, told the Gazette that the changes were irresponsible. "They've instituted inaccuracies into the standards, and that, just on face value, seems wrong ... It's service to our kids, it just really is. Reality is one thing, and hoping that it isn't is something else entirely." Also denouncing the changes was Climate Parents, whose director Lisa Hoyos told the Gazette, "It's a deeply inappropriate concern that the kids shouldn't get to learn the truth about climate change because it might impact the coal industry." Climate Parents plans to petition the board to rescind the changes. The board's attorney told the Gazette that a member of the board could introduce a proposal to rescind the changes at a future meeting. If the board voted for the proposal, a policy would then be prepared for a future vote. "The policy cycle includes a 30-day comment period, opportunity for change based on comments[,] and a final vote to implement the change." For the two news stories in the Charleston Gazette, visit: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150104/GZ01/150109861/1419 http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20141228/GZ01/141229489/1419 For Mark McCaffrey's op-ed column in the Charleston Gazette, visit: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150104/ARTICLE/150109890/1103 And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in West Virginia, visit: http://ncse.com/news/west-virginia WHAT'S NEW FROM THE SCIENCE LEAGUE OF AMERICA Have you been visiting NCSE's blog, The Science League of America, recently? If not, then you've missed: * Stephanie Keep chiding a reviewer of Bill Nye's new book on evolution: http://ncse.com/blog/2015/01/say-what-nicholas-wade-worst-idea-ever-0016079 * Minda Berbeco taking the news from West Virginia to heart: http://ncse.com/blog/2015/01/west-virginia-don-t-break-my-heart-0016105 * Steven Newton debunking young-earth creationist claims about the Great Unconformity: http://ncse.com/blog/2014/11/top-5-creationist-claims-grand-canyon-1-great-unconformity-0015968 http://ncse.com/blog/2014/11/top-5-creationist-claims-grand-canyon-1-great-unconformity-0015994 http://ncse.com/blog/2015/01/top-5-creationist-claims-grand-canyon-1-great-unconformity-0016078 And much more besides! For The Science League of America, visit: http://ncse.com/blog 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 x303 fax: 510-601-7204 800-290-6006 branch@ncse.com http://ncse.com Check out NCSE's new blog, Science League of America: http://ncse.com/blog Read Reports of the NCSE on-line: http://reports.ncse.com Subscribe to NCSE's free weekly e-newsletter: http://groups.google.com/group/ncse-news NCSE is on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter: http://www.facebook.com/evolution.ncse http://www.youtube.com/NatCen4ScienceEd http://twitter.com/ncse NCSE's work is supported by its members. Join today! http://ncse.com/join
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