Climate lessons on Scotland

The Climate Lessons blog, run by BH regular John Shade, has republished an article from the Scottish Mail on Sunday, looking at how climate change is being taught in Scottish schools.

It's scary stuff.

Comments

[rickbradford]

The "progressive" agenda has been in charge of UK education for many years, and their only intent is to teach the "correct" modes of thought.

“Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted." - Lenin

Luckily, many children seem to instinctively reject this overt agit-prop.

[james]

Beautiful day in East Scotland today yet the sun is hidden behind milky clouds after dozens of aircraft left their mark. Some say the trails are 'chemtrails' rather than contrails. I was a bit skeptical but would be interested in any ideas from folk more qualified than me. I started to change my mind and believe they may be some kind of geo egineering when I watched one trail from an aircraft being started and stopped leaving an on / off pattern across the sky. Hardly likely to be a contrail since I doubt if large jets would switch their engines on and off during flight ;) Oh and the trails are always left in patterns. Criss crosses and then in parallel with each other. The flight 24 radar site where you can watch real time flights with aircraft destination etc never shows them on it's radar site so they're not civil flights.

[Martin A]

The tipping point, where the CAGW religion reached the point of self perpetuation, was passed years ago.

The indoctrination of children by True Believers, producing more True Believers in their own image is an example of positive feedback with loop gain exceeding 100%.

[Harry Passfield]

James: If an aircraft, flying at the boundary of where contrails form encountered 'wave', the track of the aircraft would likely look like it is flying in and out of high altitude, so giving you the visual effect you saw.

[Billy Liar]

Mar 26, 2012 at 4:29 PM | james

It could be military aircraft engaged in training. It could be fighter aircraft practising interception and/or aerial refuelling from a tanker etc etc.

Whether an aircraft produces a contrail is dependent on the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere through which it is flying. If this varies in a regular pattern, as it often does downwind of hills/mountains, then the contrail may appear/disappear in a regular pattern also.

[mydogsgotnonose]

In the 1690s, 25% of cots died because the climate was so cold in the LIA.

We're heading for something very similar because net CO2-AGW is probably near zero.

In a decade, Scots will be emigrating for warmth!

[James Evans]

To James,

Get a grip. :)

From another James.

[Frosty]

Mar 26, 2012 at 4:29 PM | Unregistered Commenter james

research was carried out in the 1950's in the UK, China do it most these days, search google for recent news items, see this for UK history
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/geo_engineering_flights

if there's anything current (questions have been asked) it'll be in here somewhere...
http://www.parliament.uk/search/results/?q=Cloud+Seeding

this looks pretty frightening, maybe they're testing it <shrug>

"Submission from Professor John Latham[22]

1. SUMMARY

- There exists a clear consensus in the geo-engineering community that although it is strongly hoped that it will never be necessary to deploy any of the climate mitigation, temperature stabilisation schemes on which we are working, it is irresponsible not to examine and test the ones considered to be of significant promise, to the point at which they could be rapidly made operational, if viable."

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmdius/50/50w3e19.htm

[lapogus]

To get back on topic the Daily Mail article was very good. I have just had a look at the Education Scotland website and it is more appalling than I remember. Here's an example from http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/weatherandclimatechange/climatechange/climatechangeworld/meltingice.asp:

he temperature of our planet is warmer now than it has been for over 1000 years and it is estimated that further temperature rises of up to 3°C can be expected by the end of this century.

This is causing ice and glaciers to melt across the world:

* Temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula are rising faster than almost anywhere else – rising by 3°C since 1951. In 2002, the Larsen-B ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula suddenly collapsed and 3250 km² of ice broke off - an area almost twice the size of the Isle of Skye
* Scientists have shown that the Greenland ice sheet is melting faster than expected. The melting Greenland ice sheet may be responsible for nearly a quarter of worldwide sea rise over the last 13 years. In August 2010 an ice sheet measuring 260 sq km broke off from the Petermann Glacier. This was the largest separation of ice in nearly 50 years
* Climate scientists predict that the Arctic could be completely ice-free in some summers by the end of the century. (It’s worth noting that sea-ice such as that in the Arctic doesn’t raise sea levels when it melts as this ice is already displacing its own volume)
* Millions of people rely on water from glaciers for fresh drinking water. Water from glaciers feed some of the world's greatest rivers, including the Ganges, Mekong and Yellow Rivers.

Melting ice, caused by global warming, could cause a number of significant problems. Large volumes of melting ice from land-based glaciers will increase sea levels causing massive flooding in coastal areas making millions of people homeless and damaging biodiversity. Biodiversity in the oceans may be further impacted if by the changing chemical composition of sea water due to the influx of freshwater. Important ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream may also be affected and in turn may impact on the climate in many parts of the world.

Another important factor is that ice plays an important role in reflecting energy from the Sun back into space. As it melts, it is likely that the Earth will absorb more energy from the Sun and global warming will further increase.

There now seems to be two parallel sites - e.g. the one I have looked at before which has pages on the hockey stick controversy and climategate - http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/exploringclimatechange/controversy/index.asp but I now can't find any links to this from the new weather & climatechange homepage - http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/weatherandclimatechange/index.asp

Can anyone else find a link to these 'sceptic' pages from within the ES site?

[Frosty]

208. The Research Councils have now signalled that support for geo-engineering research may be forthcoming. EPSRC has allocated £3 million for a geo-engineering IDEAS factory to be held in autumn 2009, and NERC has allocated £2 million to support a consortium-led study of cloud seeding and cloud formation (via sulphate aerosol) and related albedo effects.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmdius/50/5007.htm

[Pharos]

One of the most sensible and refreshing articles ever to appear on this topic in the MSM is to be found in the unlikeliest of places. But within the article, there is a very familiar voice expressing very predictable comments.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jun/12/climate-change-curriculum-government-adviser

[james]

Thanks for your info re chemtrails.
They're not fighter jets or refuellers as I can view them with binoculars and can see that they're non descript white passenger jet type aircraft. They generally fly in parallel trailing each other by about a mile. 2 or 3 jets at a time. Two will criss cross at a higher or lower altitude at the same time.
I found this video from the US which matches the patterns I saw today perfectly..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdtLTyNOB0A

[james]

This video is a more in depth look at the subject.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BARt9ccu8no&feature=fvst

[Morph]

My son has this more or less every time the "Environment" is taught. A usual question on "homework" is "I know that the right answer is dad, what should I put as the answer here though ?"

[Throg]

@james

In my youth (before I discovered girls!) I was an avid planespotter and I can assure you that what you're seeing is perfectly normal, as per at least two explanations above.

:-)

[Andy Scrase]

I recently went on my son's (aged 11) school camp to Mt Cook National Park in NZ.
I was interested to see virtually no mention of climate change or global warming from either the teachers or the park officials. Even when confronted with the question "why are the glaciers receding", the park ranger gave a good answer that it was a combination of factors including precipitation at the accumulation zone and melting at the ablation zone.

[Dreadnought]

Pharos

I remember that Guardian article. It provoked a letter of protest from the usual suspects.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jun/21/crucial-lessons-climate-change-curriculum

The best bit was this:

Colleges and training providers are being encouraged to create the green skills that will satisfy the demand for green jobs, but this will be undermined if learners do not have an understanding of the issues underlying the green economy.

What green skills do you need to pour the concrete for wind turbine foundations?

[Mooloo]

“Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted." - Lenin

Said by someone without children and who never taught, of course. So naturally he knew what he was talking about.

I do teach. It's not that simple

Children will believe what you tell them, so long as they think it is value free. You could make up any bollocks about chemistry and they'll swallow it whole.

Once they think the topic is about values – political, religious, social etc – their filters come on. They are given conflicting (and often hypocritical) advice on this from an early age and have learnt to process it with some judgement. As they get older they learn to spot earnestness in particular. They notice that some messages are delivered with good will, and some are clearly propoganda.

Large parts of the US has been conducting a long experiment into teaching that chastity at an early age is the best way to keep safe. It's plugged endlessly in schools. How's that working out for them, you reckon?

[Sleepalot]

This is a new one (to me, at least) - "Ecomaths". It's on BBC2 tonight.

http://www.google.co.uk/#q=ecomaths&hl=en&prmd=imvns&ei=jdhwT97PEY2K4gTu7um_Ag&start=0&sa=N&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=4a009d1411b72012&biw=1024&bih=638

[Albert Stienstra]

I believe a British judge made a verdict that the Al Gore movie could only be shown in schools when it was made clear at the presentation that this movie contained major mistakes. Should not this issue be brought before this same court?

[RoyFOMR]

Mar 26, 2012 at 9:49 PM | Mooloo
+1

[Jack Hughes]

Ecomaths will be on BBC2 ...

Lesson 1 - Primary

A new way of showing how maths is used in the real world to help create a sustainable future.

Stefan Gates meets people using maths to find innovative solutions to the ecological challenges of our age. From local food to food waste, recycling to rainwater harvesting, biofuels to biodiversity, this series highlights how maths is crucial to managing our environment.

This two-part series is made up of films appropriate to Key Stage 1, 2 and 3 with clear links to the maths curriculum at each stage. It progresses from stories that address local issues to national and then global themes.

In this episode targeted at primary age students, viewers learn about time, distance, number patterns and operations as Stefan visits a farm in Devon that uses maths to calculate the most environmentally friendly way of delivering organic food boxes. He visits a vast recycling plant to explore how 2-D and 3-D shapes are used to sort and reuse rubbish, and visits a school that uses recycled objects in many different ways. At a brand new hospital in London, he learns about measuring and controlling temperature, and visits a school that uses data collection, tables and charts to run an energy-saving campaign.

Stefan also visits a huge hi-tech greenhouse in Kent to learn how much rain can be collected from a roof using ideas of conservation of volume and calculating area. He explores alternatives to car use by pedalling a rickshaw across Bristol, and constructs simple equations to calculate the carbon cost of a new cycle way. He also visits a unique grocery in Manchester and learns how to reduce food waste by turning facts and figures into fractions and percentages.

Lesson 2

In this episode targeted at Key Stage 3, Stefan heads into the woods of Sussex to explore sustainable energy and meets a group of students who use algebra to compare different types of energy.

He visits a snail farm in Dorset and compares lamb and snail meat by looking at area, fractions and ratios.

And he explores the maths of scientific discovery using concentrations in standard form and cumulative frequency graphs, and interpreting longitudinal data in a unique fungus trial at Swansea University.

[mfo]

http://www.geomission.co.uk/education/

[Andy Scrase]

These kids didn't seem too impressed with their attempt at a "carbon neutral" week.

What we found
We were cranky because it was too hot. It was hard to get much done. Walking takes much longer than driving to our activities. Carrying groceries back from the store was very hard. We missed foods that we enjoy. Washing clothes takes a very long time. Mom also told us that we were not really as close to zero as we thought because things like the food we ate and clothing used energy to get made and delivered to the stores. We learned that living carbon neutral is really hard if you do not have a renewable source of energy to use for the home and your car.
We are happy the week is over but we will try harder to watch our use of energy.

[EdeF]

Well, an old high school friend and I managed to travel all over Scotland last October without being killed by the climate; had a great time, got rained on, had some nice sunny days too. I would encourage any yanks out there to get over before it gets too hot........or too cold? ps--loved the hagis,
we thought it was just like some southern hash dish that we grew up with.

[pat]

Princeton Physicist, Will Happer, at Wall St. Journal:

26 March: Global Warming Models Are Wrong Again
The observed response of the climate to more CO2 is not in good agreement with predictions.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304636404577291352882984274.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[HuhneToTheSlammer]

The Scottish education system appears prone to perversion, which if why Wee Eck wants to delay the referendum on independance and give the vote to 16-year-olds - the school propoganda machine is in overdrive.

[TheBigYinJames]

I've noticed a pattern that after an embarrassing episode for the CAGWers, we get loads of what I like to call 'bunkum' posts on here - chemtrails, 9/11, etc. I'm sure it's a deliberate ploy to make us look stupid.

[Latimer Alder]

@edef

'Well, an old high school friend and I managed to travel all over Scotland last October without being killed by the climate; had a great time, got rained on, had some nice sunny days too. I would encourage any yanks out there to get over before it gets too hot........or too cold? ps--loved the hagis'

I endorse your recommendation...and the need for speed if you want to see a relatively unspoilt Scotland

For it is not climate change that will ruin Scotland as a place to visit and enjoy...it is the bloody windmills. I spent a few days in and around Stirling and the Trossachs last week, and their evil tentacles are spreading all over even this historic landscape.

Worse, Wee Eck and all his cronies in the wee pretendy parliament (*) seem determined to kill the entire tourist trade by 'investing' heavily in yet more of these useless monstrosities. Financial and economic suicide ...have they all forgotten the Darien project that brought about the collapse of an independent Scotland first time around, the Act of Union and all that entailed?

* Thanks to Billy Connolly for his unbeatable description of the 'Scottish Parliament'.

[David]

I absolutely LOVE Billy Connolly's description of Scotland's 'Wee pretendy parliament'...

[james]

re chemtrails/ contrails.

Tuesday 27th March was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and a bright clear sun.
Wednesday morning 28th March and the sun is again hidden behind milky clouds created by dozens of con/chemtrails.The trails slowly spread across the sky until the whole sky is hidden behind them.
When I was a kid a jet went across the sky and the contrail faded away after a few minutes. These trails don't fade away but slowly spread and join up with other trails until the sky is covered.