GVSU Professor Lays Blame for Global Warming
by Paul LeBlanc
In the midst of bitter wind chills and continuous snowfall, the subject of global warming may not be a frequent topic of discussion.
Nevertheless, in a lecture held Wednesday at the Women’s City Club in downtown Grand Rapids, Figen Mekik, an associate professor of biology at Grand Valley State University, spoke at length about the phenomenon—and laid the blame for it squarely on her audience.
In the lecture, titled “Global Warming Is Your Fault!,” Mekik discussed the scientific evidence for climate change and how it can be linked to human activity.
The event was sponsored by the Center for Inquiry, an organization that works to “promote and defend reason, science and the freedom of inquiry in all areas of human endeavor,” according to literature at the event.
Aided by a slideshow depicting graphs and photographs, Mekik laid out numerous pieces of evidence for the causes of global warming.
Mekik noted how scientific analysis of ice cores—which contain air trapped from thousands of years ago—show a pattern of rising global temperatures corresponding with increased levels of carbon in the atmosphere.
Carbon is the primary “greenhouse gas” responsible for the phenomenon, Mekik said, as it and other gases released by industrial processes trap heat within the Earth’s atmosphere.
Mekik—a climate scientist and oceanographer—emphasized the importance of raising awareness about the subject of global warming.
”(The lecture) gave me an opportunity to talk about this to lay people,” Mekik said.
Mekik pointed out the consequences of global warming are dire, including droughts, increasingly intense weather and most prominently, rising sea levels that lead to massive flooding.
GVSU students made up a sizable portion of the audience at the lecture.
Among them was GVSU freshman Emily Tabaczynski, who had little background knowledge on the subject before attending the lecture.
Afterwards, Tabaczynski said she had become convinced global warming was in fact a man-made phenomenon.
“I think it is undeniable,” Tabaczynski said.
Charles O’Donnell, director of the Grand Rapids Community College branch of the Center for Inquiry, said his belief that evidence for man-made global warming has grown over time.
“It was a lot easier to be skeptical of this information 15 years ago,” O’Donnell said. “As time has gone on, evidence has gathered for global warming.”
But not all audience members were convinced.
One audience member repeatedly challenged Mekik, insisting global warming was the result of the position of the moon relative to the Earth.
In a rather humorous exchange, the man asked Mekik if she had grown up using a solar grill, to which the professor replied she in fact had.
During the question and answer session of the lecture, another audience member asked if global warming had already progressed too far to be combated.
Mekik said she believed further warming could be averted if the right measures are taken to prevent it.
Mekik went on to note she believes younger generations are up to the challenge of reversing the trend, even if hers is not.
“I’ve been teaching at GVSU for 10 years, so I have met many students,” Mekik said. “They are very bright and open-minded, and they have a sense that this is their world.”
Mekik suggested a number of steps to be taken on an individual level to limit greenhouse gas emissions, including using public transportation and making use of non-incandescent light bulbs.
Paul LeBlanc
Grand Valley Lanthorn Staff Writer
1/16/2009
