Running head: Annotated Bibliography 1

Annotated Bibliography

Climate Change at UTEP

Daniel Corona

University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1302

July 17, 2018

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 2

Research question

1. What is Climate Change?

Wilkinson et al. (2003)

McMichael et al. (2017)

Barrio (2010)

2. How is climate change affecting student’s everyday life at UTEP?

Kennedy et al. (2008)

The Prospector (2015)

3. Do other universities with similar climate as UTEP having similar social,

environmental and academic issues?

Kennedy (2008)

National Research Council (2010)

4. Is climate change affecting education?

Kennedy (2018)

The Prospector (2001)

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Survey Questions

1. Age

2. Gender

3. Are you from the El Paso/ Juarez area? If so, What area?

4. Do you believe in man-made climate change?

5. Why or why not?

6. How did you learn about this topic?

7. Has anything weather related stopped you from turning/completing an

assignment?

8. What is you GPA range? (1.5-2.0, 2.0-3.0, 3.0-4.0)

9. How many times have you gotten a weather-related sickness in the past year?
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Bryson, R. A., & Murray, T. J. (1977). Climates of hunger: Mankind and the world's changing

weather Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat04704a&AN=nug.b114

2740&site=eds-live&scope=site

An International group of scientists wrote a letter of warning to the president of the

United States (in 1973) about a "matter of great concern:" climate change (Bryson, 1997).

Taking in account the warns of scientist to the U.S government regarding climate change,

Bryson argued that the government and the people (community) should not ignore

climate change threats but take action on the matter. He noted that (also part of the

scientists warning to the president) by the rhythm of the climate change effects we could

be expecting an ice age in the next millennia. He found that since population, dams and

nuclear waste are growing rapidly, climate change matters should not be ignored but be

taken care of (Bryson, 1997, p. xi).

Conceding that the group of scientists warned the president about a possible ice age in a

future, research still shows that this could be a coming event for the next millennia

(McMichael, 2017).

Bulkeley, H. (2013). Cities and climate change. New York: Abingdon, Oxon. Retrieved

from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat04704a&AN=nug.b263

4941&site=eds-live&scope=site

Climate change, one of the "most significant global challenges." It is a critical issue to

urban areas, which now are “home of half the population of the world” (Bulkeley, 2013).
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Bulkeley argued that by seeing examples of climate change effects on urban areas will

give us understanding of what climate change effects may be “coming in the future

cities”. She noted that many evidences point to urban areas as key arenas for research.

She found that "urban areas are significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions which

are vulnerable to impact climate change" (p. 2).

These findings connect with the idea of McMichael (2017) on how the past may make us

understand where we are standing regarding climate change and with the statement of

Barrio, A. (2010). that greenhouse gases are a major cause of climate change.

Guzman, A. T. (2013). Overheated: The human cost of climate change. New York, NY: Oxford

University Press, 2013].

Guzman (2013) argued that a climate change is not a topic the should be only discussed

by scientist even though this is a very complicated and controversial topic. He refers to

this topic as a "familiar and mysterious subject." He noted that this subject was a very

“critical” complicated one, even for scientist. He mentioned that scientist do an

“exceptionally poor job “when presenting or considering what action to take regarding

this subject. Guzman proposes that all people should be talking and worrying about this

subject, not only scientist, and even mentioned that “[he himself is] certainly not a

scientist,” demonstrating an example of his claim: all people should be talking about

climate change (p. Ix-x).

This claim connects with the idea of Barrio, A. (2010). Barrio mentioned that cities are a

very affected by climate change and that cities host half of the world's population. This is

a perfect example supporting Guzman's claim of why all people should be concern about

climate change.
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Jonathan, P. (2009). Chap. 3. Climate change: A challenge for public health: Hearing of the

committee on health, education, labor, and pensions, united states senate, one hundred

tenth congress, second session, on examining climate change, focusing on it as a

challenge for public health. (pp. 1). Washington: U.S. G.P.O.

One of the this that make climate change a very important topic it "the uniqueness of its

hazards." Climate change is not just health not affect our health just in direct paths but

also in indirect paths. It will affect in creating heat waves, air pollution, affect water

quality, and other factors (Patz, 2008). Patz claims that the ways climate change can

affect the health of human kind should recognized and treated with deep concern. He

mentioned that climate change is "not just a single toxic, a single agent of disease" but

climate change is a "multifactorial" problem. He noted that because there are many

"pathways" through which climate change is affecting us (water quality, pollution, heat,

etc...), we must find and target the main problem causing these effects. He found that the

main cause of climate change is "greenhouse gas emissions" (pp. 5-6).

These claims perfectly connect with the statement of Kennedy (2008) since it is a

response to Kennedys claim in the committee's debate about climate change, but also

agrees with other authors' claims for example, Bulkeley, H. (2013) the main cause of

climate change are the greenhouse gases.

Kennedy, H. (2009). Chap 1. Climate change: A challenge for public health: Hearing of the

committee on health, education, labor, and pensions, united states senate, one hundred

tenth congress, second session, on examining climate change, focusing on it as a

challenge for public health. (pp. 1). Washington: U.S. G.P.O.

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The awareness and the concern on climate change has alert all American people since

know we understand the what climate change means for not just the American population

but for all the Earth (Kennedy, 2008). Kennedy claimed that "the issue of climate change

is not an issue about polar bears or distant melting glaciers," but it is a topic that everyone

should be concerned about. Climate change not only affects our communities but also

"our health and health effects on our children." He mentioned that scientist throughout

the world have found that climate change is a risk factor to our health and that through

history we can find out that effects of climate change before it is too late. He found that

the heat wave in in Europe (2003) was responsible for the death of more than 30,000

people (p. 1).

These findings directly connect with the directly with the claim of McMichael (2017) that

through the climate change effect that have occurred in the past we can understand where

we are standing at regarding climate change and also prevent future effects. Also, it

directly connects with the idea of Bulkeley, H. (2013) that everyone, especially urban

areas should be the ones talking about this matter.

Marquina Barrio, A. (2010). Global warming and climate change: Prospects and policies in Asia

and Europe. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Concerns about possible climate change effects on environmental, economic and social

issues have cause international debates about what should be done to reduce greenhouse

gases, "which are claimed to be the main cause [of climate change]" (Barrio, 2010).

Barrio argues "the debate is over" since we now know the science required and we know

see the threat, it’s not the time to debate anymore but to take action. He found that the

more fundamental response is to try to reduce or avoid the human activities that are seen
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as "causing climate change" such as trying to reduce gases emitted from the combustion

of fossil fuels in vehicles and power stations. (p. xi).

Although Barrio idea to reduce human activities to reduce greenhouse gases is a very

popular idea among scientist and researchers, it must be pointed out that reducing these

activities will decrease the supply of related businesses (National Research Council,

2009).

McMichael, A. J., Woodward, A., & Muir, C. (2017). Climate change and the health of nations:

Famines, fevers, and the fate of populations. New York: Oxford University Press.

History can help us to understand or predict future health effects of climate change

(McMichael, 2017). McMichael noted that major risk humankind has faced in the past

millennia have been often provoked by climate change. McMichael found that knowledge

on past human experiences regarding climate change can “alert us from what risk we may

be facing or may come in the future” (p. xv). Although McMichael is correct at thinking

that the past will help us to predict the future, as an old saying says, history tends to

repeat, he may have to consider the fact that we are talking about climate change. Even

though past events may help us understand present and current climate change effects on

health or show a pattern of how climate change have cause risky events, climate change

vary from time to time. Wilkinson (2017) argued that obtaining concrete evidence on

climate change effects on health are almost impossible to obtaining by simply monitoring

climate change (p. 2). Even though McMichael is correct at assuming that the past will

help to understand future effects of climate change, it needs to be pointed out that

arriving to any conclusions would be extremely complicated since climate changes are

most irregular and inconstant.

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National Research Council. (2010). Monitoring climate change impacts: Metrics at the

intersection of the human and earth systems. Washington, D.C.: National Academies

Press. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat04704a&AN=nug.b246

7317&site=eds-live&scope=site;http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12965

National Research Council (2010) states how the committee was "tasked with developing

technical document" to provide necessary information to understand climate change and

provide "insights into environmental sustainability issues" (p. 5). The author claimed that

in order to "support policies and investments to increase resilience” in human and Earth

systems, we need information to access vulnerabilities to climate change. He noted that

current observation systems that monitor elements of how climate is changing do not

necessarily provide information about climate change impacts on humans that “would be

relevant for economic or political planning or decision making”. He found climate

change effect will increase as population grows increasing the demand of for resources

and supporting infrastructure (p. xi).

These findings connect with Guzman, A. T. (2013). Who mentioned that scientists are

doing a “exceptionally poor job “when presenting evidence regarding climate change (p.

Ix).

The National Academies (2009). Adapting to the impacts of climate change: America's climate

choices (2010). Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2010.

The National Academies presents this report as the findings on adapting to the impacts of

climate change (The National Academies, 2009). The Author claimed that although

planning for adaptation it is a plan still in process, it is important to quickly move

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 10

forward to avoid future impacts on climate change. He noted that this is a "relative ne

topic" for the community, and that it was made fully know to the people after realizing

the effects and changes in earth systems from having more heat trapped in oceans and the

atmosphere. The author also found that the best way to prepare or adapt for this climate

changes is reducing greenhouse gases, which some cities and states already began to do.

If the people should adapt to this effect, it should be point out that since cities (urban

areas) are the most affected by climate change effects (Barrio,2010) the people living in

these areas should be the ones more involved in this topic. Which also connects with

Guzman (2013) showing why all people should be concern about this.

Wilkinson, P., Campbell-Lendrum, D., & Bartlett, C. L. (2003). CHAPTER 10: Monitoring the

health effects of climate change. (pp. 204-219). Switzerland: World Health Organization.

Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=24729910&site

=eds-live&scope=site

Wilkinson et al. (2003) claimed that broad scientific effort is the only way to detect

climate change impacts on health. He noted that the “[the] detection of climate change

effects on health were necessary to provide evidence.” however, he believes that the

scientific effort, as mentioned before, is the to do it rather by monitoring climate changes.

Wilkinson found that the constant change in climate "makes monitoring climate change

complex"(p. 1). He also mentions that monitoring is "continuous or repeated observations

using consistent... methods" which by his claim means that climate changes are not only

complex but almost impossible.

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Wilkson is mistaken by the fact that he overlooked his definition of "monitoring" as the

observance of continuous or repeated observations using consistent... methods" when the

dictionary definition of the word is "observed and check the progress or quality of

(something) over a period of time; keep under systematic review." Which make, by

definition, observation a better approach to obtain climate change evidence.