A Hotter World?
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There has been considerable debate over global warming over the past couple decades. Most of the debate, by now,
has come to focus on the uncertain outcomes of global warming, though there does remain some skepticism over the
seriousness of the phenomenon. Two units within this theme explore different aspects of the debate over global
warming. The units begin with the basic premise that it is crucial to understand the world as an integrated
system. This helps draw our attention to the difficulties inherent in any attempt to "prove" scientifically
that the world is becoming warmer as a result of the actions of people. The debate, in other words, is about
much more than simply "good" versus "bogus" science. In Chapters 10 and 11, we consider some of the local-scale
ramifications of the debate. In Chapter 10, there is a unit on deforestation and indigenous groups on the island
of Borneo, directing attention to the case of tropical deforestation and the indigenous groups affected by such
deforestation. The unit allows students to learn about the activities of grassroots organizations in Malaysia
and Indonesia advocating indigenous rights in the context of preserving tropical forests. The political prospects
of those might hinge in part on the link between deforestation and global warming. In Chapter 11, we consider the
impacts of rising oceans on the inhabitants of the low-lying atolls of the Pacific Ocean. This unit directs
attention to the difficulty these people have in convincing the rest of the world that serious action needs
to be taken to prevent global warming
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