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Old July 29th, 2017 #1
James Heimdal
Purveyor of Truth
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Dixie
Posts: 218
Default Science journalist retires at 98 and warns of generation of Americans who suffer from a thinking 'disability’

Quote:
A 98-year-old US science journalist, who has finally decided to retire, has said a generation of Americans are suffering from a “major disability in what they can think about and understand”.

David Perlman, who has not only won awards but had them named after him, said this was one reason why so many people refused to recognise climate change was real.

Speaking to the website of the Poynter Institute, which trains the media, The San Francisco Chronicle journalist described cuts in science coverage by newspapers as “absolutely obscene”.

“Newspapers, whether online or in print, are a major factor in the ongoing education and awareness of the public, and specifically of a younger generation,” he said.

“And whether it's online or in print, the idea of failing to cover advances in science ... it creates a generation with a major disability in what they can think about and understand.”

This lack of critical thinking was being demonstrated in the US public’s reaction to scientific evidence that the world is getting warmer because of greenhouse gas emissions, largely caused by fossil fuels.

“A perfect example of that [lack of understanding of science] is the controversy over climate change, global warming and all that that implies,” Mr Perlman said.

“The failure of people to understand that this is real science, and it's just as scientifically valid as an issue today as is the fact that we're going to have an eclipse of the sun on August 21. That's not a theory — that's going to happen... More


The melting of ice all around the world is a clue that it’s getting warmer.