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Ian Smith
Active citizen, lifelong learner, social educator, environmental and social activist. Interested in the people : place : planet interface, the Transition movement, social justice and climate justice.
Location Ivybridge, Devon, UK.
Activity
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Rushing to catch up after starting late and having just posted up my thoughts on the ‘Hawthorne Effect’, I have now discovered these superior posts from Jacqueline and Roene. Thanks both!
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Picking up on Mas Ibrahim’s post, on the broadest level I think that the classic ‘Hawthorne Effect’ - whereby the knowledge that they are being studied impacts on participants’ behaviours - applies here. By way of a specific example of researcher(s) influencing the field being studied, the now-discredited work of Dr Andrew Wakefield - which led to a...
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Ian Smith made a comment
Hello staff team. Thank you for these introductions. I am looking forward to learning from your inputs and also from my fellow participants. In return I will contribute whatever I can!
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Ian Smith replied to Heleen Prins
Hello Heleen. I am Ian Smith from south west England, UK. A key part of my work is with Food Plymouth which is part of the Sustainable Food Cities Network in the UK and Ireland. I therefore imagine that we may have common interests. All the best.
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Ian Smith made a comment
Hello Colleagues and staff. I am Ian from the UK. I have a portfolio career, working in the fields of education, community regeneration and social enterprise. A key part of my work is in the Sustainable Food Cities movement in the UK and Ireland. Food systems are complex and multi-faceted and I hope that my learning from the course will help me to...
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Ian Smith made a comment
Hello fellow learners. I am Ian from the UK. I have started the course two weeks late because of work pressures. I will do my best to play catch-up from here! I am looking forward to working with you.
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Taking these points in turn:
1. Probably the most important thing I learned from this week is that in the developed world upwards of 50% of CO2 emissions come from buildings. In our solution-seeking around reducing CO2 levels surely this is a good place to start?
2. I continuously battle with time and work pressures to give the Climate Change course...
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Ian Smith made a comment
My three measures (in common with many contributors) are:
1. REDUCING WASTE in every stage of the food supply chain, enabling existing food yields to be used more effectively and efficiently. Special emphasis around the global retail sector - supermarket 'buy one, get one free' offers often result in the second item being wasted, a staggering proportion...
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Answering these points in turn:
1. The huge impact of ocean acidification in an incredibly short timescale.
2. My stark realisation that ocean acidification is advancing sooo destructively and sooo rapidly.
3. The notion of ocean acidification as 'Climate Change's evil twin'. Why? Because this simple analogy works for me and because this vital concept /... -
Responding to the questions in turn:
1. The potential side-effects of geo-engineering climate.
2. Some of the technical / statistical elements were a bit of a challenge!
3. I am intrigued by the carbon capture and reflecting models.
4. Some of my work involves carbon sequestration through tree planting and management. I intend to develop some deeper... -
Ian Smith made a comment
I agree with the numerous comments around the unknown (unknowable?) side effects. I also share the concern around how governmental-industrial-military interests might use this technology to continue pillaging the planet and its most vulnerable people and / or use it as weapon in the 'resource wars' that are predicted in the near future as the inevitable...
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Ian Smith made a comment
Wow! I am disturbed by the map of the world's oceans showing the human effects on acidification. The impact on ocean currents is worrying too.
Regarding other perspectives (for example climate change deniers), I have been impressed by all the data I have seen. I can sense the dedication and search for quality and reliability inherent in the modelling... -
Addressing the points in turn:
1. To me the big learning this week has been around the inexorable rise in CO2 and global temperatures. The 'Hockey Stick' graph is fixed firmly in my mind.
2. Like Erike G, I am struggling to find enough time to give the superb course content the attention it deserves.
3. I am very interested in how and why the deep ocean... -
Ian Smith made a comment
What a useful tool! I modelled Australia too and I was not surprised to see how high its per capita emissions are, given its affluent lifestyle. I also modelled Madagascar, which was remarkably low - even lower than I had expected. The sad thing though is I have just been reading that tar sands have been discovered in Madagascar. If these are exploited...
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Ian Smith made a comment
I live in Devon and I work across the south west of England. Therefore, I have seen and have to work around the effects of the record rainfall and flooding here. In addition to the flooding - and the associated economic and social disruption, the threats include: the arrival of previously unknown insect-borne diseases in people and livestock (already...
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Ian Smith made a comment
Inspired by the previous sections, I took a look at Greenland and I was stunned to see the extent of the warming there. In overall terms, Like Alex R, I was struck by the fact that the map was mainly orange and yellow - I literally had to check twice before my brain could take it in.
Taking up the 'northern hemisphere is getting hotter quicker' point raised... -
Ian Smith made a comment
I agree with Matt H's point regarding how events in one hemisphere often seem to correspond to the exact opposite in the other hemisphere. I was puzzled - frankly surprised - by the news (to me) that the rapidly diminishing Arctic ice sheet (which I knew about) was effectively being 'balanced' by a growth in the extent of Antarctic ice cover. I was taken by...
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Ian Smith made a comment
I am with Cheryl P and Stuart F around the possible causes of the rise in average temperature global temperature. I am interested in the finding that the poles were much hotter. I wonder if this could be result of the tilt of earth's axis changing such that the poles got more direct sunlight that normal. On the other hand I sense that changes to the...
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Ditto Simon's comments (below). The blanket analogy / object lesson works well for me. The albedo effect is fairly new to me, but it seems very relevant, especially given the accelerating loss of ice and snow cover that we are experiencing here and now. I had the benefit of attending Prof Peter Cox's public lecture on Climate Change at Plymouth University...
