Text Book Shaky on Global Warming
Jul 31, 202074.8K Shares2M Views
Environment reporter for Grist.org, Kate Sheppard, dropped by In These Times this week to pen an important op-ed pieceabout a high school history textbook that’s shaky on some of its facts about global warming. The book, American Government, is the most widely used textbook of its kind, taught in hundreds of U.S. high schools and colleges.
Its conservative authors, James Q. Wilson, of the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute and John J. DiIulio Jr., formerly director of faith-based initiatives for the Bush administration, had trouble keeping their political leanings out of their work.
Most notably, they suggest that there isn’t actually a consensus in the scientific community that human activity is creating global warming. They seem to say that climate skeptics are as reputable as, say, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Here’s one choice passage:
“„"The earth has become warmer, but is this mostly the result of natural climate changes, or is it heavily influenced by humans putting greenhouse gases into the air?…[There is] conflict among elites who often base their arguments on ideology as much as on facts."
The authors also question whether global warming is a bad thing or a good thing. Seriously. Another passage:
“„"On the one hand, a warmer globe will cause sea levels to rise, threatening coastal communities; on the other hand, greater warmth will make it easier and cheaper to grow crops and avoid high heating bills."
Paula M. Graham
Reviewer
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