As the author of a recent letter suggested, just because a sizable group of people believe something is true, that doesn’t necessarily make it so.
At the same time, an opinion, even one emphatically expressed, carries little truth if it is not supported by knowledge and evidence.
Public conversation around climate change includes many opinions — from neighbors, politicians, media hosts, and citizens writing this newspaper.
However, the wider conversation around climate change also includes a vast store of knowledge that has accumulated over time as scientists have discovered and analyzed the substantial evidence of climate change.
Our son, a 2010 Port Angeles High School grad, leaves soon with a team of UW researchers that will examine a remote Antarctic ice sheet while seeking to better understand climate dynamics down south.
Another PAHS grad has joined a project in which a research vessel is tethered to an arctic ice floe for a year. Findings will enable climate scientists to better understand climate dynamics up north.
I’m proud of our local contributions to the body of climate knowledge.
I’m also pleased that PAHS has adopted a yearlong theme, “Educating for Climate Change,” that will enable current students to better understand the evidence for climate change and make their own informed choices as they face the future.
The future belongs to these young people.
Our task is to provide opportunities for them to learn how the planet actually works, and how they might best equip themselves for a changing world.
David Christian
Port Angeles