Focus the Nation event aims to help keep Earth healthy

Lizards, ants and fungi revealed the complexity of climate change on organisms during a lecture by Michael Angilletta Jr., an associate professor of ecology and organismal biology, as part of Focus the Nation.

According to the Web site, Focus the Nation is a campaign meant to educate people about global warming, pollution and clean technology investments in an attempt to have the youth of America consider the repercussions of their actions. Also, the program aims to promote activity and solutions to the issues.

"Today, a lot of people get information off Web sites and television, and there is a ton of information available for them," Angilletta said. "However, that information is not necessarily from experts, or if they are experts, they may have agendas. These types of events at universities give people information that may be slightly less biased on politically-charged topics."

ISU started celebrating Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. for a national Webcast, "The 2% Solution," which according to the Focus the Nation Web site, encourages the reduction of greenhouse gases by two percent every year, starting now. The Webcast featured Stanford climate scientist Stephen Schneider, sustainability expert Hunter Lovins, and green jobs pioneer Van Jones.

A Global Warming Film Extravaganza started at 8 a.m. with film subjects varying from China, the Hurricane Katrina and solar energy, including a showing of "An Inconvenient Truth" the film supported by Al Gore that won two Academy Awards.

"It's important to get someone who not only has the data, but also knows what needs to be done and can get it done," Angilletta said during his lecture.

Angilletta and Jennifer C. Latimer, an assistant professor of geology, both gave lectures on global warming and solutions. Latimer discussed both natural and man-made influences on the environment.

"Climate change is not man-made. There is no proof linking that to man-made activities," said Bryan Brock, an ISU criminology alumnus. "The earth's average temperature was actually higher in the 1400s than it is now."

Though many people like Brock are skeptical, some people remain conflicted between the causes and preventative measures that can be taken with climate change.

"History is very definite proof that the Earth has been going in climate cycles since the beginning of its existence including periods of excess heat and ice ages," said Kyle Neisen, a junior marketing and automotive technology management major. "While there is no doubt that the human race has affected the world, I refuse to believe that we are truly powerful enough to either initiate or stop the cycle that our world naturally falls within."

However, the imminent change in climate, whether man-made or not, must be acknowledged and approached intelligently.

"Obviously it is important that the scientists that study climate change share the information and their findings with the public," Angilletta said. "Today there is a lot of information floating about, and not everybody has a good filtering to determine the difference between science and pseudoscience."

During his speech, Angilletta recommended preserving national habitats, minimizing barriers to disposal, and eliminating other stressors for those wanting to help reduce the effects of climate change.

The day closed with the airing of the first of three installments of "The Natural Heritage of Indiana: The Indiana That Was," a film that features Marion Jackson, a life science professor.

"I believe that climate change could possibly create a problem for all citizens of the world based on extreme shift of agricultural tendencies," Neisen said. "Along with that, it may create numerous other problems that may or may not have been pointed out by the many 'experts'."