"Only in America do we accept weather predictions from a rodent, but deny climate change evidence from scientists".
"Welcome to the land where you can get sunburn and frostbite in the same week".
"So, you don't believe in scientist when they talk about global climate change... but you will prep for the Apocalypse when those same scientist mention El Nino
"Climate change is just a meteor that arrives in 2050."
These are just a few examples of Climate Change memes that can be found all over the internet. It is a topic of tremendous debate world wide. Politicians have their differences in priorities, Environmental conservationists have their position, Scientist state their claims, and society is constantly flip flopping. The biggest issue, in my opinion, is that not enough people are educated on the difference between climate and weather, or on climate change in general. Some individuals live in a world where they are sheltered from the harm that is done to the environment, many people just don't care, and others have suffered from pollution and toxic environments throughout their lives. When people show unawareness of the severity of the effects of pollution and toxins in the environment, I always suggest they watch the documentary; "Gasland" by Josh Fox. Although it is not a film directly about climate change, it gives people a dramatic look into how humans can strongly impact the environment. To the right is a clip from Gasland, the film in it's entirety is available to view on YouTube if you click the link.
It is very difficult to break people of their misconceptions. Society hears so much information on a daily bases. They learn one thing at school, hear something else from their parents, a new story from their peers, and read something different on the internet. This makes it difficult for people to decipher fact from fiction. When trying to educate people, it is important to be sensitive to their misconceptions, but also guide them to walk away with the truth and knowledge they deserve. Nobody wants to hear they should change their lifestyle. Life is hard enough! "I need my car to get to work and class and the gym and the store, it's not possible to use less gas. I need my hairspray to not look like a frizzy monster, so I can find a guy, get married, and have a family. Now you are going to take these things away from me?! Why are you blaming me?! I'm just one person!" In addition society may misinterpret information or be swayed by other individuals. For example, this video show how individuals can get carried away by their misconceptions or misinterpretations.
As a Science teacher it is critical to inforce the importance of the subject, give students insightful knowledge, allow kids to discover things on their, always supply evidence, and encourage the next generation to make the best choice for themselves and the world around them.
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