When I get back early in May, it will be close to this blog’s first birthday, and I plan to review what use this blog has been to me or anyone else, and what it might do over a further year.
For me, it has been one means of getting back to some familiarity with climate theories and observations, after a gap of more than thirty years, and perhaps more importantly, with climate politics and school curricula. I remain more convinced than ever that there has been a deliberate and gross exaggeration of the role of rising CO2 levels on climate, and a grossly irresponsible and melodramatic promotion of this rather weak theory outside of the walls of universities and other places of research - the only places where it really belongs. A new headache tablet would have been subjected to far more rigorous review, and yet have been capable of far less harm without it, than the overblown declarations of settled science concerning the impact of CO2 on the very complex climate system. That it is has been accepted with such confidence by policy makers points to some profound weakness at least in our political if not in our psychological make up. That it is being pushed on to children in our schools remains a great concern over the potential for harm to their spirits, their attitude to science and technology, and indeed to society itself.
But has the blog been of much use to others? It seems to get 20 to 60 new unique visitors most days, with an all-time high of 607 on one day this year, and it is now achieving 4 to 5,000 pageviews each month. Far fewer than some climate blogs get every day! I had hopes that it could serve as a convenient repository of ideas, arguments, and links for others engaging in more direct calls or campaigns for reform of school curricula and of the kinds of people, organisations, and materials allowed in or near schools to promote their causes under the guise of ‘climate change’. The widespread dissemination of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ to schools in the UK remains, in my view, a sad disgrace. It may be relatively rarely used nowadays (?), but I presume we remain vulnerable to more like it from the efforts of zealots for whom threatening the emotional wellbeing of children is not so much an obstacle as an objective in their drive for more political influence or power.
So, whether you are in the select band of frequent visitors which I hope exists, or you have just stumbled upon this place, please let me know what you think about it. What kind of purpose might it serve for you, and what might be done differently to make it better for that purpose?
I find your blog a very helpful reference on the important issue of climate propaganda in schools. It is very useful to gather information together like this and I hope you will continue.
ReplyDeleteThe problem of partisan climate propaganda in schools is one that concerns me greatly. It should be illegal, but there appears to be little will to present both sides of the argument. Presumably this originates from the government and the EU. We must carry on trying to draw attention to this, though, and blogs such as yours make a really valuable contribution in drawing people's attention to what is going on. I wish there were others doing it too. I would like to see you cite as many examples as possible of bad(and good) practice in schools.
ReplyDeleteI too have found your blog a highly useful resource when it comes to looking into climate propaganda in education. It is ironical that even as CAGW scepticism continues to increase among the general public, here in the UK, organisations such as the British Council and Cape Farewell are busy as ever, promoting the climate scare in schools (here's a fairly recent example of this: http://www.speakgreen.info/ ). There's clearly still a lot of work to be done, to bring some welcome scepticism and common sense to bear on these activities, and to uncover and highlight the connections that exist between Government and EU initiatives, the ambitions of environmental NGOs and what is taught in classrooms. We appear to be in an era where policy makers are keen to "nudge" us into certain behaviours, and who easier to nudge than children? This is something that needs to be watched.
ReplyDeleteI have a small child who will be going to school in a few years. A chronicle of just what goes on in schools is extremely interesting. I need to be prepared for the battle I may face.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is just finishing junior and will be starting secondary in September. You blog has been very useful in highlighting an area of concern to me. The political and/or ideological indoctrination of children - no matter how well-meaning - should be utterly condemned.
ReplyDeleteDo please continue with your blog. My only criticism is that it's not updated anything like often enough, which may explain the low number of hits. Like many people, after returning to a site several times without finding anything new, I often lose interest. By contrast, I can visit Bishop Hill or WUWT almost every day and find something new.
Good luck. Do keep going, and give us more!
Many thanks for each of these very encouraging comments. I hope to get my next post up this week on the future of the blog, and I will be studying these comments again before I do.
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