Imaging losing your job merely for differing ever so slightly from the politically correct dogma of the time.
Sounds positively medieval.
But I’m not talking about Galileo Galilei, the 17th-Century Italian astronomer who ran afoul of the religious authorities of his day for refusing to affirm that God’s creation (the Earth) was at the centre of the universe.
I’m not even referring to the Maoist shaming circles in which people suspected of differing from official Communist doctrine were publicly humiliated before being stripped of their positions and sent for reeducation.
I’m referring to Jacqui Tam, the 21st-Century university vice-president who was forced to resign last Sunday because – get this – she approved a billboard campaign that implied very, very indirectly that global warming might not be 100% evil and destructive.
Global warming wasn’t even the subject of the billboard. Rather, the subject was innovative work being done by University of Alberta crop science professors to help farmers and ranchers adapt to changing weather and soil conditions.
The ads read “Beefier barley: climate change will boost Alberta’s barley yield with less water, feeding more cattle.”
Yes, if you’re hypersensitive and hyper-politicized about global warming, I can see how you might instantly flame out about such a statement. However, the billboard was based on work by earth and atmospheric sciences professor Monireh Faramarzi who modelled the effects of projected climate change on Alberta barley production (barley is a common cattle feed) and found that projected climate change will likely increase barley yields though at least 2064.
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See Also:
(1) University of Alberta vice-president resigns over ‘beefier barley’ billboards
