Sunday, July 10, 2011

Journal #18


I didn’t find colloquium to be a difficult course, but it did change my outlook on some key issues.  I had never even heard of the global over-fishing problem.  This alone is a huge issue that needs to be on the front pages of newspapers and all media sources to get the public aware of the problem.  I personally have changed my own habits by not consuming any fish that isn’t sustainably farmed or caught. 
Before colloquium, I was part of the crowed that thought man-made global warming was a hoax to profit companies like GE and other manufactures of “green” products, and a way to force unpopular legislation.  Now after seen some of the scientific facts I have changed my tune.  My opinions still differ somewhat from what the colloquial curriculum teaches.  Instead of climate change being the main reason for a phasing out of fossil fuels, we should do it to be energy self- reliant.  By using the economy as the main beneficiary of switching to renewable energy, most of the current opposition would have to agree or be in obvious support of big oil. 
It is always important to have an open mind in order to accept new ideas, but it is just as important to be critical of the new ideas.  I think that if most students weigh the information presented to them, they will still be able to obtain a lot of new knowledge from this class.
               

No comments:

Post a Comment