Global climate change is likely to be the most serious environmental challenge in history, with profound implications for humans and ecosystems worldwide. It is therefore of great concern that a substantial portion of the U.S. population is unaware of and/or unconcerned about this threat. This talk will highlight essential knowledge that, if possessed by a majority of citizens, would likely result in action to change our planet’s current course. Such knowledge includes patterns and causes of recent climate change, predictions about future climate change, consequences of future climate change for ecosystem and human health, and the most promising technological and behavioral options for minimizing climate change.
Dr. David Karowe is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Western Michigan University, where he teaches courses in climate change, ecology, and evolution. Dr. Karowe is also a visiting professor at UMBS, where he teaches ecology in the spring and co-directs the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions in the summer. Dr. Karowe’s research addresses how elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide affects plant defensive chemistry and nutritional quality, and how these changes affect higher levels in the food chain, including herbivores and parasitoids.
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