One of the hottest topics around for the last 20 years or so has been that of human influence on the climate of planet Earth. Phrases like greenhouse effect, climate change and global warming are guaranteed to produce strong and often emotional reactions.
Having been on the receiving end of the begged question ‘don’t you want to save the planet?’, the co-founder of the Algarve History Association, Lynne Booker, thought it was time for an organised debate to discuss real evidence.
Four brave men have put themselves in the firing line and offered to present their views in public: Clive Jackson, David Johnson, Martin Stroomer and Peter Booker. They will debate the motion ‘This house does not believe that human action has any significant impact on climate change’ in the Municipal Library of Tavira on Tuesday, February 19 from 5.30pm.
Clive Jackson was a naval engineer by profession. He has lived in Portugal for 16 years and has been working as an astronomer. He founded and was the director of the Astronomical Observatory of Tavira and he has run the Camera Obscura in Tavira for eight years.
He will be proposing the motion and will be seconded by Martin Stroomer. Martin worked for Philips Electronics where he was involved in the creation, development and marketing of innovative products. Since moving to Tavira in 2003, he has enjoyed dedicating some of his time to the analysis of so-called ‘facts’ in science, politics and business.
David Johnson is opposing the motion. David graduated in applied physics and went on to work in the nuclear industry before becoming a science teacher and later Head Teacher. He retired in 2006 and he spends nearly half the year in Tavira.
David’s seconder is Peter Booker whose degrees are in history and business management. He was a Human Resources manager with British Coal for most of his working life.
He moved to Tavira in 1998 and since then has been devoting his time to researching Portuguese history. He has been giving talks on the subject since 2005.
The debate will be chaired by Lynne Booker and Jean Johnson will be the timekeeper. Votes on the motion will be taken before and after the presentations and the audience will have opportunities to question the panel.
After the debate, there will be a dinner which may serve as a cooling off period, and panel members will be available for further discussion.
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