Climate Change: Its a Fact (Interview with VIU professer Dr. Jeff Lewis)

Dr. Jeff Lewis has been a University College professor of Geography at Vancouver Island University, after receiving his PhD in Climate Modelling at the University of Victoria.  He is a faculty mentor for the Awareness of Climate change through Education and Research (ACER) project, a university based initiative to “promote a greater understanding of the science and social implications of climate change to students and the general public throughout Vancouver Island and coastal BC”. Lewis recently presented “Climate Change: Science and Public Perception”, as part of “The future of climate change: navigating the science in a changing political climate,” a VIU free public symposium on future of climate change. Jeff graciously obliged to be interviewed on the “hot” topic of Global Warming and Climate Change, in honour of Earth Day:

 What inspired you to become involved with spreading awareness about climate change?

I like big-scale, big-picture science and I think it’s incredibly important for not only for our generation, but future generations. I’d say its one of the biggest issues tackling humanity, certainly in the near future.

You are a faculty mentor for the Awareness of Climate change through Education and Research (ACER) project. Can you tell me what the project is about?

ACER is a student initiative, and there are two or three faculty instructors that help the students out, but its really just students themselves that are driving the project. ACER spreads awareness of climate change through education and research. What it is, is university students that go mainly into the high schools, but also other grades, and to the general public and talk about climate change and do demonstrations. Basically trying to raise awareness and answer questions people have about climate change. It’s been going very well. I think to date we’ve talked to over 5000 individuals.

Has the earth’s climate ever changed before?  How so?

Absolutely. The earth’s climate is changing all the time. There have been times where they’ve thought the earth was completely ice and snow for a period of time. And there have been times where it’s been warmer, absolutely. There are a number of different things that cause the earth’s climate to change, and at different time periods, are more important than others. Right now the composition of earth’s atmosphere, and specifically the greenhouse gases, are what’s causing the current climate to change. Most of its caused by people burning fossil fuels.

Will climate change affect different areas of the world equally?

No. One of the challenges of using the term “Global Warming” is that it implies that the whole world would warm at about the same time, and that is pretty far from the truth. With climate change, different regions will heat up faster than others. Lands will heat up faster than oceans, because oceans have a lot of thermal properties that help to stabilize the temperatures, where as land generally heats up and cools down faster. Around the North, in the Arctic and Antarctica, also heats up faster mainly because of powerful feedback. As the snow and ice melts, more sunlight can be absorbed by the darker water or land surface. That will further increase the temperature locally, and causes more warming. We’re already seeing that the Arctic is warming up anywhere from 2-4 times the rate of the rest of the world.

How do you respond to global warming and climate change sceptics who produce arguments such as "Climate's changed before" and "It's just the sun". Is there a consensus in the world that climate change is likely caused by greenhouse gases created by humans?

Part of it is just looking at the science. There are climate scientists all over the world. There is a global government group- the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change- and they review all the latest peer-viewed science and they write a big synthesis report. And the science from that group, as well National Science Academies, more than 95% of all the leading climate scientists are all pointing in the same direction: there’s an overwhelming burden of evidence that shows that the climate is changing, temperature is increasing as well other changes, and that humans are the main cause of that, mainly through burning fossil fuels. So there’s the science side of it, and then there’s just often arguing with specific comments that people have. Absolutely the sun causes the climate to change, at some points it’s more important than other causes of climate change, but right now the main driving force for climate change is changes in our atmosphere, and mainly our greenhouse gas concentrations going up.

Do you think people should be made to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and thus their contribution towards climate change?  Why or why not?

I think that everything possible should be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, absolutely.

What are you doing to reduce your impact on climate change?

Great question. I try educating people a lot, and individually I make conscious decisions not to drive as much as I would otherwise. I attempt to eat a lot less meat. I try to eat local foods. I take public transportation where possible. I essentially just make decisions that have a lower impact on the environment.

Do you have any mentors, or people who inspire you in environmentalism?

David Suzuki has done a fantastic job. Andrew Weaver, as well, from the University of Victoria.

According to you how can youth take action in environment conservation?

I think youths should certainly educate themselves about the issues so that they are not misled. And I’d say a lot a lot of the movement with the social marketing and the technology that is allowing change to happen, the youth are going to be the most comfortable with it. Also at this stage, they have a lot to be lost because it’s their future that’s going to be severely impacted. I mean, we’re seeing climate change now but it’s only going to get worse in the future.

What do you think are some of the most important stories about climate change and/or global warming not being covered by the media?

I’d say the most important story is that along with changing the earth’s temperature, when we put more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the oceans absorb a lot of that carbon dioxide and it causes the ocean to become more acidic. As the oceans become more acidic, a lot of the life-forms of the ocean have shells made of calcium carbonate and will not be able to survive. So we’re looking at a huge impact to our global primary produces. That’s photosynthetic plants that produce oxygen. Our coral reefs around the world are heavily impacted by ocean acidification.

We’re seeing [the effects] now. Temperatures have already increased by half a degree in the last 40 years. We’re seeing that precipitation has changed. We’re seeing the ocean surface acidity has increased by 30%. Climate change is not something just for the future, its happening right now. It will get worse.