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Wanyun Shao, Ph.D

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6/22/2017 0 Comments

"Climate Change" or "Global Warming?"

   Climate change and global warming have been used in mass media interchangeably for some time. These two terms however refer to different but related phenomenon. Global warming is "the increase in Earth’s average surface temperature due to rising levels of greenhouse gases," while climate change is "a long-term change in the Earth’s climate, or of a region on Earth." Or put it simply, "global warming is one symptom of the much larger problem of human-caused climate change."

     The differences between these two terms do not only reflect in their definitions but also manifest in public reactions when hearing these two terms. For instance, global warming are more likely to generate negative feelings, compared to climate change. Meanwhile, survey data suggests that these two terms have both been politicized, making the strategy to increase using climate change in the public discourse less effective in closing the political division than many scientists hope it to be.

     Are these two labels different or similar to the American public? A new study finds that Republicans are more likely to believe in the existence of climate change (74.4%) than global warming (65.5%), whereas Democrats are equally inclined to accept the existence of both (94%). In other words, the difference of these two labels still matters among some Republicans.

     The silver lining, though, is that a majority of Republicans believe in the existence, whether it's global warming or climate change.

6/16/2017 0 Comments

Coastal Louisiana is sinking faster than many projected

We know that coastal Louisiana has been sinking, due to a combination of land subsidence and sea level rise. A new study shows that the current sinking rate is what many considered "worst case scenario."

Land subsidence has been going on for thousands of years. Many scientists believe the construction of dams and oil and gap extraction activities worsens this situation by intervening the natural Mississippi delta building process. Sea level rise due to temperature increase further complicates this matter. Despite the intensive efforts to protect and restore coastal Louisiana, many residents in rapidly sinking areas have no choice but relocate.

Wanyun Shao, Ph.D

I am a geographer who studies risk decision making within a geographic context.

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