Dr. Jonathan’s STEAM Seminar on Weather and Climate: A Call to Action for Humanity’s Survival
Dr. Jonathan’s STEAM Seminar on Weather and Climate: A Call to Action for Humanity’s Survival
Nicole Ma
Amid the alarming rise in severe and unpredictable weather events in recent years, the reality of Earth’s rapid climate change has become irrefutable. With devastating floods, unrelenting wildfires, and scorching heatwaves, the planet’s delicate balance is teetering on the brink. The need to address this crisis with urgency has never been more pressing. To equip students with the necessary research and critical thinking skills to tackle these challenges, Dr. Jonathan H. Jiang conducted a STEAM seminar last Saturday. The latest addition to the series, “Weather and Climate”, aimed to enhance students; comprehension of Earth’s weather and climate while emphasizing the pressing need to tackle climate change. Dr. Jiang, a NASA scientist and passionate educator who has delivered over a hundred STEAM seminars to a diverse range of students and audiences, engaged attendees with an insightful exploration of a breadth of critical topics, including weather formation, weather forecasting, and climate modeling.
These subjects served as a foundation for a deep and meaningful examination of some of the most pressing issues of our time: climate change and global warming. Drawing upon flagship research and scientific consensus, Dr. Jiang provided attendees with an intricate and evidence- based perspective on these pressing issues. His discussion of climate change included a thoughtful consideration of arguments put forth by climate deniers. For instance, he explored the effect, which posits that as the Earth warms, the anvil cirrus will shrink, potentially reducing further global warming. While some climate deniers argue that this hypothesized phenomenon could exert a strong negative climate feedback and therefore limit global warming, Dr. Jonathan noted that the scientific consensus suggests that the effect is not strong enough to offset the overall trend of global warming. In fact, a paper by Dr. James Hansen shows that global warming is actually accelerating and will likely continue to do so should greenhouse gas emissions continue on their upward trend.
Dr. Jonathan, his student, and a group of scientists at Caltech expanded on Dr. Hansen’s research and conducted a careful study involving analysis of observational surface temperature trends to show that global warming is not just accelerating, but it is accelerating unevenly across the planet. Moreover, the study used climate model projections to estimate the calendar years for when tipping points will be reached in an intermediate greenhouse gas emissions scenario, both globally and in three regions: the Arctic, the Tropics, and the Antarctic. The breaching of tipping points could lead to irreversible and catastrophic changes to our world. For example, Dr. Jonathan noted that a surface temperature increase above the 2°C threshold
could lead to a global mean ocean level rise of 20cm and massive consequences in terms of food insecurity. Dr. Jonathan concluded the seminar with a warning: if we do nothing, there is a possibility that human civilization will breach tipping points, go down the path of collapse in the Anthropocene, and reach a point of no return. In Dr. Jonathan’s words, our climate crisis is like a leaking ship with no destination, in which humans are the passengers of the ship. When the inevitable storm arrives, the ship will sink, along with all of its passengers. To ensure the survival of the passengers, we must fix the leaking and find a destination for the ship. In other words, greenhouse gas emissions must be curbed, and politicians, scientists, and the general public alike must work to mitigate global warming before we reach an irreversible juncture.
Dr. Jonathan’s Weather and Climate’s seminar left students better equipped to tackle the challenges of climate change and empowered to continue the important work of building a sustainable future. As the responsibility of securing our planet’s future rests in this generation’s hands, passionate presentations such as this are vital in fostering a sense of urgency and devotion to the fight for humanity’s survival.
Dr. Jonathan’s STEAM Seminar Series is made possible through the generous support of two prominent organizations, the All-Earth Citizens (AEC) foundation and the Chinese-American Engineers and Scientists Association of Southern California (CESASC). The AEC foundation is a recognized nonprofit organization that is dedicated to fostering the development of teenagers and young adults into global citizens and leaders through community service projects. As one of the most prestigious Chinese-American professional organizations in Southern California, CESASC has provided support to over 400 students and recognized those who have made significant contributions to engineering and science for the past six decades. To help cultivate a passionate group of young scientists, leaders, and global citizens who can tackle society’s most pressing issues, please consider donating to the AEC foundation (AECnonProfit@gmail.com) or CESASC (TerryGuoChenxi@gmail.com) by contacting their email addresses. Your support will go a long way in empowering the next generation to build a sustainable and thriving future for all.
