Indie
Well-Known Member
Global warming on trialSixth-graders decide that humans arent to blame By Ben Ready The Daily Times-Call LONGMONT Humans dont cause global warming, a jury of sixth graders at Trail Ridge Middle School concluded Thursday after hearing opposing arguments from their peers.Theyre pretty young for this kind of thinking. They did great, paleontology teacher Ken Poppe said after the 40-minute trial in his classroom.With Earths warming accepted as a tenet, pre-teen lawyers and scientists debated whether humans have caused it.Eleven jurors listened intently as prosecutors and defendants flashed contradictory graphs tracking global temperatures, carbon dioxide levels, polar ice cap statistics, volcanic activity and sea surface temperatures all of which were found Wednesday in the schools computer lab. The earth has warmed and cooled over many years. If its caused by CO2, why havent the charts shot up? Poppes son and lead prosecutor Caleb argued during a rebuttal.In a climax that sent half the class to its feet and forced the judge to call for order, opponent Monique Nem slapped a contradictory graph onto the prosecutions table.Weve proven you wrong! The CO2 levels have shot up, she said.The jury responded more warmly, however, to Caleb Poppes response: The graphic cited a Hawaiian source; Hawaii has volcanoes; volcanoes emit CO2.In closing arguments, Alexia Hegy said global temperatures actually decreased in the 1960s, while the global population rose. Humans cannot be at fault, she concluded. With the final word, defense attorney Sarah Steed countered: It all comes back to us, the people not the sun, not the weather. We need to turn off lights when we dont need them. Bikes can work. The environment can be richer.Seven of 11 jurors decided humans are not to blame, but everyone agreed classroom debates make for fun learning.It was a hard decision, because both sides made good points, said student Samantha Roberts.Ken Poppe said he let students choose which side of the debate to argue. Poppe personally believes global warming is cyclical and not affected by humans, while his Colorado State University student aide David Richards believes the opposite. Both, however, said they presented both sides equally to the students leading up to Thursdays debate.What I think is not the issue. Its what the students dig up and how they present the case, Poppe said.Only one parent questioned Poppes decision to hold a global warming debate. That mother expected him to present Al Gores global warming movie An Inconvenient Truth as indisputable facts, Poppe said. After he explained his neutrality in the classroom, the mom allowed her child to participate in the debate, he said.You dont understand someones position until you can argue it to their satisfaction, Poppe said, quoting a famous physicist. I dont believe in Darwinism either, but I can argue it as well as any Darwinist.
