Green Engineering Chemical Engineering, Lecture notes of Green and Environmental Chemistry

Download Green Engineering Chemical Engineering and more Lecture notes Green and Environmental Chemistry in PDF only on Docsity!

CHE 4973 – Green Engineering

Critical Thinking and Climate

Change Science

2 questions

1. Has the Earth recently gotten

warmer?

2. Have humans caused the Earth to get

warmer recently?

Scientists Use Inductive And Deductive

Logic

Deductive reasoning starts with general cases and proceeds to specific cases - it makes relationships clearer and allows predictions to be made Hypothesis^ Hypothesis Prediction 1^ Prediction 1 Prediction 3Prediction 3 Prediction 2^ Prediction 2

Critical Thinking and Climate Change

1. State the hypothesis

• (^) The Earth is getting warmer

2. Examine the evidence for the claim
3. Consider alternative hypotheses

• (^) The Earth’s climate is not changing
  • (^) The Earth is not getting warmer

4. Evaluate the reasonableness of each hypothesis

• Earth's Long-Term Warming Trend,
• 880-

Temperature Anomaly

Anomaly = T - T

ref

If it’s hotter now than during the reference

period, the temperature anomaly is positive

• If it’s colder now, the anomaly is negative.

Ecosystems

Critical Thinking and Anthropogenic Climate

Change

1. State the claim

• (^) Human activities are causing global warming

2. Examine the evidence for the claim
3. Consider alternative hypotheses

• (^) Natural factors are causing global warming

4. Evaluate the reasonableness of each hypothesis

Scientific Consensus

• Every relevant scientific society (AAAS,

National Academy of Sciences, etc.) has

issued statements confirming that the

Earth’s climate is changing,

• and that this is largely due to the burning

of fossils such as coal, oil and gas