This article articulates an increasingly concerning question: in a world where increased exposure to natural hazards, resource scarcity and the consequences of climate change are amongst the most critical issues facing our society, why does Earth Science get no love in our education system?
I spend a lot of time teaching non-science majors basic Earth Science, and it does sting a little when students say they took your class because they thought it would be easy, not because it’s interesting or important. Sometimes, I manage to change their minds, which is quite nice. And my job!
But I can’t help but worry about the many, many people who I don’t even get the chance to convince. Should people having the information they need to make well-informed decisions about the defining issues of this century be dependent on them going to college and taking a non-compulsory course to meet their general education requirements? I’d argue not.
Furthermore, we can’t ignore the potential impact this has on the lack of diversity in Earth Science: how many fantastic people who could have contributed to our understanding of the planet, and how to sustainably live on it, have passed Earth Science by, not even realising it was there?
Nice plan for content warnings on Mastodon and the Fediverse. Now you need a Mastodon/Fediverse button on this blog.