It didn't take long for the GW topic to surface in Environmental Science. Global warming is discussed in week two of the school year.

Our student in the class is listening and taking notes and still forming an opinion on the topic. The instructor in our high school advanced placement class suggests that scientists would not lie about such a serious conclusion.

The student does not rule out the possibility that some might be profiting from global warming and may be throwing gas on the global fire if you will. It's big business for those in government and in the scientific community, just to mention two.  

But extreme weather changes and strange natural occurrences globally have the attention of the class. And have our student wondering if there's merit to the science of global warming.

The teacher cited evidence of global abuse which are well documented and certainly more visible than O-zone or carbon emissions. 

The pollution of Lake Erie and the burning Cuyahoga River near Cleveland, Ohio were cause for environmental concern that boiled over in the 60's. There was little doubt that man was careless with the environment.  

It took government mandate to force industry to clean up its act.  Almost 4o years later the water ways are coming back to a more acceptable standard.  

Prompting the teacher to tell the class there's always "hope" over time that things can be restored.  And even reinvented, like the wind power projects being pushed along Lake Erie now.

Global warming? No definitive answer this time, but we have a whole school year left to find the answer. Things are just warming up in AP Environmental Science in Central California.