Sagebrush
Misleading Textbooks
RECEIVED Sun., March 31, 2019
Dear Editor,
I believe, like stated in your article “Science Groups Demand Textbook Publishers Remove Climate Change Denialism” [Daily News, Nov. 12, 2014], that it is wrong for textbook publishers to provide false information on climate change. It is wrong to mislead students, but the statement provided from the fifth-grade social studies book is not as misleading as the article claims. Yes, the scientific consensus says that climate change is caused by the emissions of fossil fuels, but there are differences in opinions, so to say that scientists disagree is not completely false. Some scientists believe that climate change is caused by the natural heating and cooling trends of the Earth and the Milankovitch cycles, but not by the emissions of fossil fuels. Also, the excerpt from the textbook does provide the harmful effects of climate change, like storms and sea level rise, so to say it is misleading is a strong claim. I also believe that the McGraw-Hill world cultures and geography book for sixth-graders prepares students for the controversy of climate change in the real world by providing sources from both believers and deniers, because it introduces students to the ideas and beliefs of both sides of the argument. The generalization that parents are alarmed and opposing the publications appears to be a fallacy of an appeal to popularity – what parents were interviewed? How many were there? It seems as if the opinion of a group of parents was accepted as the opinion for all parents. For a textbook to be written based on political belief should be prohibited, but one that addresses the facts of global warming while addressing the controversies behind it is a valid point.
I believe, like stated in your article “Science Groups Demand Textbook Publishers Remove Climate Change Denialism” [Daily News, Nov. 12, 2014], that it is wrong for textbook publishers to provide false information on climate change. It is wrong to mislead students, but the statement provided from the fifth-grade social studies book is not as misleading as the article claims. Yes, the scientific consensus says that climate change is caused by the emissions of fossil fuels, but there are differences in opinions, so to say that scientists disagree is not completely false. Some scientists believe that climate change is caused by the natural heating and cooling trends of the Earth and the Milankovitch cycles, but not by the emissions of fossil fuels. Also, the excerpt from the textbook does provide the harmful effects of climate change, like storms and sea level rise, so to say it is misleading is a strong claim. I also believe that the McGraw-Hill world cultures and geography book for sixth-graders prepares students for the controversy of climate change in the real world by providing sources from both believers and deniers, because it introduces students to the ideas and beliefs of both sides of the argument. The generalization that parents are alarmed and opposing the publications appears to be a fallacy of an appeal to popularity – what parents were interviewed? How many were there? It seems as if the opinion of a group of parents was accepted as the opinion for all parents. For a textbook to be written based on political belief should be prohibited, but one that addresses the facts of global warming while addressing the controversies behind it is a valid point.
Marcela Neu
