Community Blogs - Arkansas Geographic Alliance

Community Blogs

Follow the latest goings-on in your community through the blog links below. Click "Subscribe" to be notified when a new blog post hits.

Blog Name / Description	No. of Posts	Last Activity
Views on Climate Change An important point needs to be made regarding climate change. The phrase, "global climate change" is misleading and should be replaced by something that more accurately reflects what is taking place. First, there is no such thing as a "global climate," and second, entire climate regions are not changing from one type to another. Rather, the boundaries of some climate regions appear to be shifting. For example, the northern boundary of the Cfa climate region in the United States may be shifting northward. Additionally, the western boundary may be migrating eastward as the BSk climate region shifts that direction. More research needs to be completed to determine if these shifs are actually occurring and to examine the extent of these shifts if they have occurred. Therefore, a better and more accurate phrase would be "climate region boundary shifting" or "shifting climate region boundaries." BG	0	No activity
Climate and Warming Writing about climate change and global warming is politically dangerous, but here goes. There is confusion regarding the difference between global warming and climate change. I saw an hour-long presentation on "climate change" the other day that was really about global warming. That Earth's average temperature is currently higher than in the past relates to global warming and discussions about the natural and anthropogenic causes of that warming. Certainly Earth's warming impacts climate. There is no such thing as a global climate - a phrase frequently used by uninformed people. Earth's climates consist of six types, each with well-defined climate regions. Each climate region is classified by well-known characteristics. As long as those regional characteristics are within the prescribed range the climate does not change. For example, based on historic data, 130 years ago, Little Rock's climate was classified as Cfa. That has not changed. Little Rock's climate remains a Cfa in 2012. BG	1	5/4/2012
Geographic Literacy There is a national movement underway in the United States to reform geography education in order to increase geographic literacy. In the near future high school seniors will be assessed annually to determine improvement in geographic literacy. It is understood that significant changes in curriculum and instruction will be necessary for improvement to be made. In relationship to the above, there is a national discussion underway regarding what constitutes a geographically literate person. The Arkansas Geographic Alliance suggests something like this: "A geographically literate person has the ability to make important decisions about cultures, places, and relationships that may exist between them." The question is, however, how does one measure one's ability to make such decisions? The answer to this question will need to be determined prior to any assessment of high school seniors so that improvement in geographic literacy can be monitored over time. Your comments are encouraged. BG	0	No activity
Local vs. Global I argue that what appear to be local issues are not just local issues, but are global and to remove that element from the discussion is harmful to students. Chemical contamination connected to a refinery explosion in Delaware City which sent toxic gasses into the night sky is not JUST a local issue, but a global issue. The global community shares the air of "night sky." Spraying formaldehyde on eggs and slaughtering 600 million chickens on Maryland's Eastern shore is not JUST a local issue, but a global issue. The water of the Chesapeake goes into the Atlantic and touches other distant shores. Hydrofracturing natural-gas wells is not JUST a local issue, but a global issue. Natural gas produced at home means less reliance on foreign (global) energy and natural gas consumed at home means cleaner air at home and abroad - the air, wind is global. Students need a clear understanding that what takes place locally frequently has global consequences that should not be ignored. BG	0	No activity
Politics and Geography Because this is an election year, things political are constantly in the headlines. We hear about, and even discuss, issues related to political candidates. But most citizens don't understand that politics and campaigning are very geographic. We hear about "swing" states, "blue" and "red" states, "flyover" states, and we see maps of states showing areas dominated by the Republican and Democratic candidates. Geography helps us understand why "swing" states exist and why a state is either "red" or "blue" or why one area of a state leans Republican and not Democratic. Occupation, age, place of residence, being rural or urban, religious affiliation, income, ethnicity, and gender, among other factors, play a significant role in creating the political map of a place. Only when we understand the character of a place - its geography - can we explain why places vary politically. A geographically literate person can better understand the political landscape that appears chaotic, but is not. BG	0	No activity