Is It Getting Hotter on Earth or What?

DEBATE PLANNED

Is It Getting Hotter or What?

The long-awaited "Great Debate" on global climate change is about to 
heat up Kresge auditorium. On Friday, June 8, Technology Day 1990 will 
feature a one-on-one debate between two scientific antagonists with 
sharply differing views on possible global warming.

Not to be forgotten in the heat of that moment is the theme of this 
year's Technology Day, "100 Years of Earth Sciences at MIT," celebrating 
the achievements of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary 
Sciences (EAPS). 

Dr. Stephen Schneider, head of the interdisciplinary climate systems 
program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Col., 
will expound his view that global warming has already occurred and is 
likely to increase. Opposing him will be a vocal critic of global 
warming projections, Professor Richard S. Lindzen of EAPS.

The questions before them go under the umbrella, "Are Current 
Predictions Reliable?" Is a buildup of greenhouse gases in the 
atmosphere raising the global temperature? Do we face a future of 
spreading deserts, melting glaciers, and submerged coastal cities?  If 
we burned less fossil fuel, could we head off these sometimes predicted 
devastating changes in the climate? Do we even have the knowledge to 
answer these questions? And if we don't when will we?

The greenhouse effect is a charged issue these days, and despite 
increasing media attention, scientists don't agree on whether it poses 
dangers. By pitting leading proponents from two opposing camps in a 
battle of data, theories, and computer models, perhaps some new light 
will be shed on the matter. Though  sparks may fly, the debate is 
intended to generate more light than heat.

The program will begin at 9am in Kresge with an introductory overview of 
climate change by debate moderator, Professor Ronald Prinn of EAPS. 

After the debate, two MIT faculty members will offer opinions as to what 
we as a society should or should not do. Speaking will be Professor 
Nazli Choucri of the Department of Political Science, who is the 
Director of the Technology and Development Program, and  Professor Henry 
D. Jacoby of the MIT School of Management.

There will follow a period of questions and answers, with audience 
participation encouraged. The morning proceedings will close with a 
perspective on the future of global climate change studies at MIT 
offered by Professor Prinn, who is the director of the new MIT Center 
for Global Change Science.

The afternoon program will begin at 12:30pm with the annual Technology 
Day luncheon and class gift presentations. Then at 3pm the  Centenary 
Celebration at the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary 
Sciences will feature a department open house, demonstrations, and 
lectures.                                 Eugene F. Mallove