Scientific Truth
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A Natural Educator
I’m definitely a fan of Neil DeGrasse Tyson! An astrophysicist and the contemporary face of scientific narration, Tyson is stellar.💫 I really enjoyed him as the host of both NOVA, and the recent revamp of Carl Sagan‘s inspirational TV series, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. Cosmos is a moving and powerful description of the origins of our universe, and how we humans came to understand it.
The updated version is called Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and was written and produced (in part) by Ann Druyan, Sagan’s equally brilliant wife. Dr. Tyson was an admirer of Sagan’s (who he once met and was influenced by), and a natural fit to keep the story going (see Bill Moyers interview). It was released by National Geographic, but I caught it on Netflix (depending on your country’s access).
Keeping It Real
Having further appreciated his various interviews and guest appearances on a number of talk shows (check out The Truth of Comedy), I also decided it was time to read his books, Death By Black Hole and Astrophysics for People in A Hurry. I was not disappointed. Give them a go when when you can;)
Despite his advanced degrees, he keeps it relatively simple as he shares his excitement and his insights on science and the universe. You can really sense his passion for learning, and his strong desire to help share the scientific discoveries.
Helping Through the Hard Times
His skills are particularly relevant in this time of encroaching climate change. The planet is warming due to human activities, and elected officials are failing to the respond to the crisis. Just last week we learned that carbon dioxide emissions are once again on the rise (Quartz), despite the global commitments to reduce them.
Indeed, the US National Climate Assessment report came out of the American Thanksgiving Holiday, and the evidence is pretty frightening. Climate change will wreak ever more death and destruction as the climate continues to destabilize.
The official response from the US President, “I don’t believe it.” (PBS Newshour). However, as Dr. Tyson points out again and again, “The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.” The world order clearly has to move past those who deny the reality, and push on towards a sustainable agenda that will better protect human civilization.
On The Same Page
We really need to acknowledge the present environmental reality, and lay off with the media staple of showcasing debates with skeptics. Why just this morning, I read of one climate scientist who was interviewed by CNN, only to not have the interview aired as a result of giving a Republican climate-denier, and non-scientist, more screen time.
It can be pretty infuriating (click here to watch the unaired interview)! Scientist Katharine Hayhoe was going to speak at a TED Talk, instead opted for the interview with Anderson Cooper, only to have it dropped because of this gross misappropriation.
Click below to check out Katharine Hayhoe’s Twitter feed
Listening to the Science
It’s time to evolve past this. Science has proven itself time and times again (see vid below). That’s how it works. Well now, the science is telling us that the earth is getting warmer, and that it’s our fault. We need to cut our emissions or things are going to get real bad. Thankfully, science also provides us with solutions and alternatives, if we are wise enough to listen.
