Sierra Club Hosts "Real Climate Project" Lecture (Sustainability-Related Event #2)

The second sustainability-related event that I am reporting on this semester was this evening's lecture on climate change hosted by the local chapter of the Sierra Club at the Monroe County Public Library, entitled "The Climate Reality Project." While I normally find lectures on the topic of climate change to be interesting and enlightening, or at a bare minimum, accurate review of information I've already learned, I was very disappointed in the lecture presentation this evening.

The lecture was essentially a brief summary of some of the key points of Al Gore's famous documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," but in my opinion the information that was presented was very outdated, overly simplified, and in some cases, incorrect. Perhaps it is because I have taken a significant amount of coursework that has examined in detail the inner workings of climate change and looked extensively at the physics, chemistry, and biological ramifications and driving processes of climate change that made this presentation frustrating to listen to. However, more significantly, it worries me that outdated information is being disseminated by a supposedly reputable organization with Al Gore's backing, and is incorrectly informing listeners who don't have a science background about what climate change actually is and its implications for human and environmental health.

Although the presenter clearly had good intentions and is certainly well-versed in his presentation script, I think that The Climate Reality Project would do well to update its information before passing along seriously outdated information to listeners around the country.