Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction, and Opportunity - Essay Example

22 March Analysis and Summary of Why We Disagree About Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity By Mike Hulme Why We Disagree About Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity (Cambridge University Press, 2009, 432) informs the reader about an understanding regarding how different sections and groups within society have different beliefs regarding the fast growing and popularly spoken about climate change the world is going through. It confirms the stance that climatic conditions have taken over politics in the modern world and how the same continues to be dominated by it. Mike Hulme teaches Climate Change at the School of Environment Sciences in the University of East Anglia (UEA). He also served as a researcher for the Climatic Research Unit in the university from the years 1988 to 2000. His early education includes studying in places like India at that Madras College, St. Andrews, as well as in Wales at the universities of Durham and Wales. For a period of four years preceding his research work at the university, he served as a geography lecturer at the University of Salford. The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research was also founded and is credited to him, in the year 2000, which was directed by him, under his guidance for a period of seven years. Its headquarters were set up in UEA with a virtual network spread out all over. (Welcome) In the year 2009, Hulme had been named The Economist. Apart from writing ‘Why We Disagree about Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity’, he has also notably edited a number of books written on climate change by authors like Michael Grubb and Bert Metz. He has made a number of presentations and headed many seminars including delivering key note speeches at highly regarded climate conferences all over the world. He has also written a number of articles on climate change for the BBC. Hulme has also co authored the Hartwell Paper which was published by the London School of Economics and Oxford university in 2010. (Mike Hulme) The book ‘Why We Disagree about Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity’, has been written and crafted very skilfully by Hulme. In it, he has tried to first uncover all sorts of disagreements that rage within the minds of human beings with respect to different socio and economic aspects of society, namely, politics, religion, economics, fears that people have, ways to communicate as well as communication barriers people face, and also the government’s role in either instilling fear among the people along with bouts of incongruity or its role in trying to help and bring about the welfare of the people. According to him, climate change is a phenomenon occurring in the world as a mere idea or perception that has arisen due to the differences that people have in their approaches towards achieving their means through the various ends provided by society. He has explored the various kinds of beliefs and thoughts that people have and thus how different people react to the idea of climate change on the planet in their own ways. He confirms that stark difference between those who want to develop technology further and further even after knowing well the consequences it might have or has been having on the environment, as well as people that are opposed to this. (Editorial Reviews) The book by Hulme has been titled very aptly as well, as it blatantly hints the kind of disagreements that different people have with regard to climate change and what their views might be. It talks of how thoughts and ideals clash and coincide with each other when it comes to taking action, or being inactive and playing a passive role in this mighty change taking over the planet. It has been distributed into a scientific and non scientific portion that talks about the various beliefs people might have with respect to the growing needs of the Earth. (Mitchell, Natasha) "Overall, Hulme articulates quite complex arguments in a remarkably clear and effective manner. He not only covers a lot of ground, but by avoiding an overly compartmentalized approach he achieves a great deal of connectivity throughout the book. For those who are regularly immersed in the social sciences literature on climate change, the content itself may not hold many surprises. But Hulme's approach makes these arguments accessible and meaningful for a wider audience, and this tome could also serve as a great teaching text,” writes Maxwell T.Boykoff for the Nature Reports Climate Change. Hulme has successfully presented within the book a number of analyses of solutions that might be applied to the situation to make it better. However, these have a very normative approach and again, might not be plausible to many different people. He has also written very strongly about the Climategate as well as the failures that arose during the Copenhagen Summit and how they could have been avoided or later turned into productive affairs, altogether. Donald Nordberg (Centre for International Business and Sustainability) writes that “Hulme calls climate change a battleground between different philosophies of science, a justification for converting public commons into private assets, the inspiration for new social movements, and a threat to our security, justifying a new form of geo-diplomacy. The disagreements stem from these considerations and then reinforce them, making it difficult to reach consensus on the facts, let alone the interpretation,” in his working paper titled ‘Disagreeing about the Climate.’ (Nordberg, Donald) Writing for the Times Higher Education, it was Steven Yearley’s outlook towards Hulme’s narrative as he feels that, “This is a distinctive and courageous book. Mike Hulme is a geographer and climate modeller, a contributor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and professor of climate change at the infamously hacked University of East Anglia. He must be acutely aware of the temptation not to give an inch. It would be entirely understandable if he presented to the world only assertions about the robustness and persuasiveness of the scientific understanding of climate change, and followed them up with strict warnings to take measures to limit further climate-damaging emissions.” (Yearley, Steven) Works Cited "Welcome." Mike Hulme. 14 Mar. 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. . "Mike Hulme." The Economist 5 Dec. 2009: 94. Print. "Why We Disagree About Climate Change." Academic and Professional Books. Cambridge University Press. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. . Boykoff, Maxwell T. "Beyond Discord : Article : Nature Reports Climate Change." Nature Publishing Group : Science Journals, Jobs, and Information. 16 Jan. 2009. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. . Yearley, Steven. "Times Higher Education - Why We Disagree about Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity." Times Higher Education - World University Rankings, Education News and University Jobs. 4 Mar. 2010. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. . Mitchell, Natasha. "All In The Mind: It's Hot in Here: Climate Change and the Psyche." ABC Blogs. 21 Nov. 2009. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. . Nordberg, Donald. "Working Paper: Disagreeing about the Climat." Jan. 2009. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. . "Editorial Reviews." Amazon.com. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. . "Why We Disagree About Climate Change. Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity."The Geographical Journal (2010). Goliath Business Knowledge. 1 Sept. 2010. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. . Knight, Jasper. "Why We Disagree About Climate Change. Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity." The Geographical Journal. Bnet. Sept. 2010. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. . Wright, Scott D. "Book Review: Why We Disagree About Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity." Human Ecology Review 17.2 (2010). Print. Silverman, Howard. "Mike Hulme: Why We Disagree about Climate Change." People and Place. 10 June 2009. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. . "ENVIRONMENT: Climate Change - Why We Disagree." CAN. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. . DiMento, Joseph F. "Book Review - Mike Hume, Why We Disagree About Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity." Social Science Research Network. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. . "About Climate Change." Rorotoko. 9 Oct. 2009. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. . "Review: Why We Disagree About Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction, and Opportunity, by Mike Hulme. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 392pp. $28.99 Paper. ISBN: 9780521727327." DeepDyve - Research. Rent. Read. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. . Jha, Alok. "Science Weekly: Why Do We Still Disagree about Climate Change?" Science Weekly. 11 May 2009. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. . Kaefer, Florian. "Why People Disagree about Climate Change." Sustainability Forum. 9 Dec. 2009. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. . IPCC. "Climate Change 2001 Scientific Basis." UNEP Grid Arendal. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. . "Understanding Climate Change." University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. . Read More