Should climate change be required to be taught in schools, as California is proposing?

Question

A Silicon Valley lawmaker is steadily gaining momentum with a bill that would require "climate change" to be among the science topics that all California public school students are taught. And, logically, would also require that all future science texts approved for use in California public schools include the topic as well.

State Sen. Joe Simitian, a Democrat from Palo Alto...points out that "You can't have a science curriculum that is relevant and current if it doesn't deal with the science behind climate change....This is a phenomenon of global importance and our kids ought to understand the science behind that phenomenon."

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/california-education-bill-climate-change.php

Do you agree with Senator Simitian?

Answer 1

Why not?  It would be no different than the gvmt showing the film 'Existence without Life' (Dasein ohne Leben) to win popular support of the pseudo science of Eugenics.

Answer 2

Science should be taught but there should not try to advocate socialism nor should they pretend to know what they don't as the alarmist do.  Teaching kids to fret over the latest liberal cause is not science.  The global warming should be taught but only if they could do so without exaggerating the consequences.  Since the liberals have no intention of not exaggerating, then they should not be allowed to push their destructive ideas on maleable minds.

Answer 3

Yes i do.

I am a student and i think that all aspects of "Global Warming" and "Climate change" should be discussed. In fact when we did global warming and climate change in my environmental science class, my teacher believed in global warming so she taught us her view on it. Then the next day my old earth and space teacher who doesn't believe in global warming came in and lectured us about why he doesn't think global warming is true.

I just with we covered the topic in my honors biology class. The level one biology classes do though.

To Dr. Jello:

I think as a student that BOTH sides of this topic should be taught. Because right now most of the children are being taught only one side and its making them stereotypical view of the other side.

And i am a student i go to school, so i know what its like.

Answer 4

They teach it in Earth Science classes.  But they teach the truth, not this fad "science" that you bombard this board with.

Answer 5

That would be great. It is science and if there was nothing to it, I'm sure the skeptics and deniers wouldn't mind.

Answer 6

yes. just because some people in the public think that there is still a big question mark over it dose not mean that it cannot be taught.

i don't think we should show both sides of the argument just because its there otherwise we would have to show both sides of all science from Aristotle's ideas on gravity to ID.

Answer 7

Science should be taught in schools.  Yes.

Edit -

A few respondents have mentioned "both sides"... is there some side other than science?  

http://norvig.com/oreskes.html

The consensus was quantified in a Science study by Prof. Naomi Oreskes (Dec. 2004) in which she surveyed 928 scientific journal articles that matched the search [global climate change] at the ISI Web of Science. Of these, according to Oreskes, 75% agreed with the consensus view (either implicitly or explicitly), 25% took no stand one way or the other, and none rejected the consensus.

What would the "other side" be, oil company propaganda?  We don't need to teach children that, they're bombarded with it already.

Answer 8

Yes. This will instill to the youth the importance to preserve our environment and how they can be a part of the global effort to do something on the issue.

Answer 9

There no point to your question, other then propagating your own views.Environmental studies are already a open forum in schools.It's basically the same ideology, as spontaneous creation.

Answer 10

Yes, of course.  Why should the science curriculum be censored because politicians don't like it?  

Scientific ignorance is one of the reasons there is so much controversy over this topic.  When people are ignorant, they are more vulnerable to propaganda.

Answer 11

I don't think they should make it mandatory. A lot of people I respect think of it as junk science. It doesn't make sense to me in light of the vast piles of evidence to the contrary. I'm not  sure what difference it would make, I think most of the schools teach it the agw way. At my son's school they do. I told him that there is a lot of evidence to suggest it's caused by the sun.

Answer 12

Since the mathematics used to determine man's contribution to global warming includes Calculus, this "level" of scientific instruction should be reserved for those students who can appreciate the effort behind its practice....otherwise, it's simply a cigarette smoking camel.

Since man hasn't bothered yet to slow the Earth's orbit or its rotation, what's getting cut from the curriculum to make room for global warming?

Answer 13

Yes, as long as the contrary evidence is presented in an unbiased fashion.

Answer 14

I think it is awesome.  I feel every school should teach a climate change course.  People are intrigued about the climate and yes should teach all aspects of climate change, not Greenhouse gases are causing climate change or no it's the sun that is causing climate change.  Both sides are necessary.  Kids should understand the concepts and theories behind climate change so they can be educated and not have a narrow dogmatic view.  Since climate change is a current science being discussed everywhere, we should add this to update our current science curriculum.  I'm all for it.. if I was still in school I'd sign up for it.  I'm just curious at what level it will be taught and if students will get all aspects of climate change or just the view point of the teacher, that will have to observed and regulated, unless in college then you can have one teacher say this then another say that, but as for  elementary and secondary the curriculum should be monitored.  But either way it's a h**l YES FROM ME!!!!