Letters

state of science education

Editor,

For years I have lamented the sorry state of science education. Why is it that perfectly literate adults, who are capable of composing eloquent letters to the editor, are not familiar with basic chemistry? As a chemist, I’m dismayed that educated people do not realize that burning gasoline is a chemical reaction with oxygen in the air, which is why the primary combustion products (carbon dioxide and water) weigh more than the gasoline did. When gasoline is burned, each carbon atom reacts with two oxygen atoms from the air. Oxygen atoms weigh more than carbon atoms, so the resulting carbon dioxide weighs more than 3.5 times what the carbon in gasoline weighs. (Gasoline isn’t 100 percent carbon; almost all the rest is hydrogen, which forms water when it reacts with oxygen). According to simple calculations, which anyone can see on U.S. EPA’s Web site www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/420f05001.htm, using a gallon of gasoline produces more than 19 pounds of carbon dioxide.

Neither the science of combustion nor the science of global warming is in doubt. Nearly every credible scientist familiar with global warming research agrees that scientific data clearly demonstrate that global warming is occurring--and that the weight of evidence is strong that humans are primary contributors. Our society’s poor science education is probably contributing to the scientific community’s failure to communicate the basic facts about global warming to the general public. We scientists generally assume, perhaps inappropriately, that the public can differentiate scientific facts (e.g., the plethora of data demonstrating that warming is occurring) from public policy debates (e.g., what is the role of our government in addressing global warming?). It is clear that we need to work harder to make sure the public understands the basic scientific facts. The recent discussion in the Daily Journal has taught me that meeting the challenge of global warming will require not only scientific creativity and engineering feats, but also improving the public’s scientific education.

Kelly D. Moran, Ph.D.

San Mateo