British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

Climates of Opinion

Synopsis
Examines the possibility of global warming, in which scientific theory and methods influence a public policy. The objective for the viewer is to gain an understanding of the nature of scientific reports and models, and how ‘facts’ as they are reported in the mass media are not necessarily as precise as they seem, but depend upon prediciton. Looks at 1) a concise explanation of the mechanism of the greenhouse effect, the effect on the earth’s temperature with and without atmosphere; 2) the historical and recent measurements of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, directly and by derivation (Mauna Loa records polar ice core analysis); 3) a similar treatment of temperature data (modern instrumentation and other derivations from core samples); 4) a non-mathematical description of the computer modelling that has led to the conclusion that a general warming is likely.
Series
Living with Technology: A Foundation Course, Course T102
Language
English
Country
Great Britain
Medium
Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 49 min.
Year of production
1994
Availability
Sale; 1999 sale: £195.00 (+VAT +p&p)
Subjects
Environmental science; Technology
Keywords
climate change; scientific data

Production Company

Name

BBC Open University Productions

Distributor

Name

Open University Worldwide

Web
http://www.ouw.co.uk External site opens in new window
Phone
+44 (0) 1908 274066
Address
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
Notes
NB. As of May 2016 Open University Worldwide are no longer distributing DVDs. They have posted this message on their website: ‘Unfortunately Open University Worldwide Limited has decided that product sales are no longer viable given the reduced funding to Higher Education institutions and diminishing demand for the products we have traditionally stocked. At present the Open University Students Association (OUSA) will continue to sell the "Good Study Guide", and we are in discussion with other possible distributors to continue to make The Open University’s products available for purchase. As soon as we have any information on other channels of distribution we will update this notice’. Some products are still available via second hand dealers on Amazon.co.uk

Record Stats

This record has been viewed 258 times.