Unit 2: 8-14 Sep

PBS - Sacred Planet - Episode 1 - The Heart of the World - Join Gulnaz Khan in the sacred mountains of Colombia with the Arhuaco people, one of the few Indigenous groups to preserve their spiritual traditions after colonization. Calling themselves the Elder Brothers, they carry a vital message for humanity.

Episode 2 - Stopping the Desert - Gulnaz Khan travels across Africa’s Sahel, where desertification threatens entire communities. Muslims and Christians join forces with scientists, refining traditional practices that promise to hold back the Sahara and its shifting sands.

Question:

How do we reconcile the concept of tipping points as points of no return with the unimaginably glorious future that is the promise of the Baha'i Faith?

Thank you for the additional resources to this Unit.  The Brief History of Climate Change was fascinating, and especially the fact that the reality of climate change caused by fossil fuels was discovered and demonstrated by a woman who of course never received credit for her scientific investigation.  At least now she is being recognized.

Also the long video with Dr. Hayhoe is well worth watching.  She is superb at presenting facts, actions, and hope.

The second course meeting took place on saturday and sunday 13 and 14 September 2025. Saturday had many participants from the USA, and sunday had participants from Australia, India, Pakistan, Africa and Europe. Conversations took place around how to address the discourse on climate change to an audience of climate and science deniers, but also with people who do no not see climate a a priority, like those struggling to survive. Communication and education are therefore very important.

I think it is also helpful to understand that science operates within frameworks that consists of beliefs, assumptions, values, methods and approaches, among other things. The framework within which science operates shapes the observations and conclusions that it generates. 

How does the concept of scientific replicability work relative to climate change? Its not like an experiment that can be replicated in different labs.

I had a question for clarification about the readings. Specifically, I am referring to the following excerpts:

"Where models have been running for sufficient time, they have also been proven to make accurate predictions. For example, the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo allowed modelers to test the accuracy of models by feeding in the data about the eruption. The models successfully predicted the climatic response after the eruption."

I got an AI overview on that