Science, policy, media. These three elements can change our outlook on life and the phenomena we see every day. However, these three can be volatile if not properly explored.
We live in a fast paced society. Whether it be through 140 character tweets or hour news television programs, we have a need to ingest information as quickly as possible. Those who bring us the news face a problem - how can we condense the important parts of this news story into a small, bite-sized chunk? The problem is only made worse when scientific reports containing upwards of fifty to a hundred pages of information must be publicized. When condensing the news, it is possible to miss key portions of these reports.
What of policy? Our government officials work to protect their constituents. Their world is one of absolutes - what things will we definitely have to deal with, and what is unlikely. Scientific research is the near opposite of this. When asked if climate change is a definite threat to the United States, a climatoligist with years of research into the dangers of climate change would answer that no, it is not a definite threat. There is no research to say beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is a real problem. Yet there are thousands of reports showing evidence of danger, it is the binary yes-or-no answers sought by politicians that downplays research and glazes over danger.
My name is Alex Krefetz, a Senior studying Environmental Science and Policy at the University of Maryland. I want to do what I can to try and make our world a better place for ourselves and future generations. This blog will feature break-downs of current scientific studies in mainstream media and policy in an attempt to cut past pretense and find the most basic facts behind these stories. They will be primarily focused on environmental issues, but not limited to it. I hope that these pieces help to educate myself and anyone who takes the time to read them.
