This year I have decided to get to the bottom of some controversial issues. I want to know what the scientific evidence is concerning Global Warming. Many Cumbrians seem convinced that there is no such thing. A related issue is that of the switch to renewable energy sources. Many people round here do not like windfarms. Two or three years ago, people round here who are opposed to windfarms routinely said to me that they favoured nuclear power as the "good for the environment" option. I wonder what they are thinking now about the debate concerning the burial of nuclear waste. Clearly, nuclear power creates radioactive waste so something needs doing with it. I think that as a Physics teacher, I should have researched all opinions, sorted out the scientific evidence and decided how I read that evidence. I should be able to give some sort of confidently expressed researched opinion as a Physics professional. So I'm reading. I have started by borrowing the book in the photograph from Cumbria Libraries. Bjorn Lomborg is a Professor of Statistics from Denmark. A decade ago, he went over all of the data he could find about the state of the environment. He wanted to see if things were as bad as they say. He concludes that the environment is actually getting better. This is very controversial. But if even half of his claims are true, then we should be OK. Wikipedia reckons that Jeremy Clarkson likes this book. Those who know me will realise that I'm worried by that! However, I can't fault his logic so far. It is a fat book: 350 pages of analysis and 150 pages of references. He has a great writing style. It's an excellent book to start with. I'm keeping an open mind. I will have finished it by next week so you can request it from your local library in Cumbria.
