NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2015/02/06

(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)

Dear friends of NCSE,

A Darwin Day resolution is introduced in Congress. A new survey
compares acceptance of climate change and of evolution on the part of
scientists and the general public. Montana's antiscience bill hits the
headlines. Plus news and more news from Scotland, NCSE thanks its
supporting organizations, and a reminder about Darwin Day.

DARWIN DAY RESOLUTION IN CONGRESS

House Resolution 67, introduced in the United States House of
Representatives on February 2, 2015, would, if passed, express the
House's support of designating February 12, 2015, as Darwin Day, and
its recognition of "Charles Darwin as a worthy symbol on which to
focus and around which to build a global celebration of science and
humanity intended to promote a common bond among all of Earth's
peoples."

Jim Himes (D-Connecticut), the lead sponsor of the bill, explained in
a January 26, 2015, press release from the American Humanist
Association, "Charles Darwin's discoveries gave humankind a new,
revolutionary way of thinking about the natural world and our place in
it. His insatiable quest for knowledge and decades of meticulous
observation and analysis opened new pathways for advancements in
biology, medicine, genetics and ecology." He added, "Without Darwin's
contributions to science, philosophy and reason, our understanding of
the world's complexity and grandeur would be significantly
diminished.”

H. Res. 67 is the latest in a string of similar bills: H. Res. 467 in
2014 and H. Res. 41 in 2013, introduced by Rush Holt (D-New Jersey) --
who, having not run for re-election, is about to become the chief
executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science --and H. Res. 81 in 2011, introduced by Pete Stark
(D-California.) All three of the previous resolutions eventually died
in committee.

"2015 has already seen five states introduce antievolution measures,
so it's wonderful to see a resolution that recognizes the importance
of teaching evolution," commented NCSE's executive director Ann Reid.
"I encourage members and friends of NCSE to urge their representatives
to support H. Res. 67. The problem is real: one of eight U.S. public
high school biology teachers are explicitly presenting creationism,
and six of ten are reluctant to teach evolution properly. So, yes,
support H. Res 67, but don't overlook the many ways to defend the
teaching of evolution locally."

For House Resolution 67 (PDF), visit:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114hres67ih/pdf/BILLS-114hres67ih.pdf 

For the American Humanist Association's press release, visit:
http://americanhumanist.org/news/details/2015-01-congressional-resolution-introduced-to-support-darwi 

For a press release about Rush Holt's becoming the new CEO of AAAS, visit:
http://www.aaas.org/news/AAASCEO 

And for a list of ways to support evolution education, visit:
http://ncse.com/taking-action/29-ways-to-support-science-education 

VIEWS ON CLIMATE CHANGE AMONG THE PUBLIC AND SCIENTISTS

Whereas seven out of eight of scientists say that humans are causing
global warming, only half of the public agrees, according to a new
report from the Pew Research Center. Asked which comes closer to their
view, "The earth is getting warmer mostly because of human activity
such as burning fossil fuels," "The earth is getting warmer mostly
because of natural patterns in the earth's environment," or "There is
no solid evidence that the earth is getting warmer," 87% of scientists
responding chose the first option, 9% chose the second option, and 3%
chose the third option, while 50% of the public responding chose the
first option, 23% chose the second option, and 25% chose the third
option.

In a separate series of questions, the respondents from the public
were asked, "From what you've read and heard, is there solid evidence
that the average temperature on earth has been getting warmer over the
past few decades, or not?" Yes was the answer of 72% of respondents,
with 46% regarding it as "mostly because of human activity such as
burning fossil fuels" and 22% regarding it as "mostly because of
natural patterns in the earth's environment." No was the answer of 25%
of respondents, with 11% agreeing that "we just don't know enough yet
about whether the Earth is getting warmer" and 13% agreeing that "it's
just not happening."

The respondents from the public were asked whether scientists
generally agree that earth is getting warmer due to human activity,
with 57% answering yes and 37% answering no. The report observes,
"Perceptions of where the scientific community stands on climate
change have fluctuated from a low of 44% in 2010 who said that
scientists agree ... to a high of 57% saying this today." There was a
correlation between regarding scientists in agreement on global
warming and accepting global warming: "Those who say either that
climate change is occurring due to natural patterns in the earth’s
environment or who do not believe there is solid evidence of climate
change are more inclined to see scientists as divided."

Demographically, the report explains, "[v]iews about climate change
tend to differ by party and political ideology, as also was the case
in past surveys. Democrats are more likely than either political
independents or Republicans to say there is solid evidence the earth
is warming. And, moderate or liberal Republicans are more likely to
say the earth is warming than are conservative Republicans. Past Pew
Research surveys have also shown more skepticism among Tea Party
Republicans that the earth is warming. Consistent with past surveys,
there are wide differences in views about climate change by age, with
adults ages 65 and older more skeptical than younger age groups that
there is solid evidence the earth is warming."

The questions about evolution were part of a larger project, conducted
by the Pew Research Center and the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, investigating the public's attitude toward
science and comparing it to the attitude of scientists. The report
relied on two surveys, one conducted by telephone among members of the
general public in the United States in August 2014, and one conducted
on-line among members of the AAAS in September and October 2014. The
broader significance of the project's results are summarized in the
Pew Research Center's report, issued on January 29, 2015.

For the Pew Research Center's report (in text and PDF formats), visit:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/29/public-and-scientists-views-on-science-and-society/ 
http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/01/PI_ScienceandSociety_Report_012915.pdf 

And for NCSE's collection of polls and surveys on climate, visit:
http://ncse.com/polls/polls-climate-change 

VIEWS ON EVOLUTION AMONG THE PUBLIC AND SCIENTISTS

Whereas nearly all scientists say that humans and other living things
have evolved over time, only two thirds of the public agrees,
according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. Asked which
comes closer to their view, "Humans and other living things have
evolved over time" or "Humans and other living things have existed in
their present form since the beginning of time," 98% of scientists
responding chose the former option and only 2% chose the latter
option; 65% of the public responding chose the former option and 31%
chose the latter option.

Those who chose the former option were also asked whether they
preferred "Humans and other living things have evolved due to natural
processes such as natural selection" or "A supreme being guided the
evolution of living things for the purpose of creating humans and
other life in the form it exists today." Among scientists, 90%
preferred the former option and 8% preferred the latter option; among
the public, 35% preferred the former option and 24% preferred the
latter option. Members of the public were also asked whether
scientists generally agree that humans evolved over time; 66% said
yes, 29% said no.

Demographically, acceptance of evolution was correlated with level of
education: "Three-quarters (75%) of college graduates believe that
humans have evolved over time, compared with 56% of those who ended
their formal education with a high school diploma or less." The report
adds, "Beliefs about evolution also differ strongly by religion and
political group, as was also the case in past surveys," but deferred
the details to a future publication. Judging from similar previous
surveys, rejection of evolution was probably associated with
conservative political attitudes and religiosity.

The same questions were asked in a Pew Research Center survey in 2009,
providing a basis for a longitudinal comparison. In 2009, 97% of
scientists and 61% of the public accepted evolution, while 2% of
scientists and 31% of the public rejected evolution. Among scientists
who accepted evolution, 87% attributed it to natural processes and 8%
to divine guidance; among members of the public who accepted
evolution, 32% attributed it to natural processes and 22% to divine
guidance. Members of the public were asked whether scientists
generally agree that humans evolved over time; 60% said yes, 28% said
no.

The questions about evolution were part of a larger project, conducted
by the Pew Research Center and the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, investigating the public's attitude toward
science and comparing it to the attitude of scientists. The report
relied on two surveys, one conducted by telephone among members of the
general public in the United States in August 2014, and one conducted
on-line among members of the AAAS in September and October 2014. The
broader significance of the project's results are summarized in the
Pew Research Center's report, issued on January 29, 2015.

For the Pew Research Center's report (in text and PDF formats), visit:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/29/public-and-scientists-views-on-science-and-society/ 
http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/01/PI_ScienceandSociety_Report_012915.pdf 

For the Pew Research Center's 2009 report (PDF), visit:
http://www.people-press.org/files/legacy-pdf/528.pdf 

And for NCSE's collection of polls and surveys, visit:
http://ncse.com/creationism/polls-surveys 

MONTANA'S ANTISCIENCE BILL IN THE NEWS

"A Billings legislator has reintroduced a bill that would encourage
high school teachers to present evolutionary biology as disputed
theory rather than sound science and protect those who teach
viewpoints like creationism in the classroom," reports the Billings
Gazette (January 29, 2015).

The bill is House Bill 321 -- formerly bill draft LC 1324 -- which is
the fifth antiscience bill in 2015, after Missouri's House Bill 486,
Indiana's Senate Bill 562, Oklahoma's Senate Bill 665, and South
Dakota's Senate Bill 114. All five bills are similar to Tennessee's
"monkey law," enacted over the protests of the state's scientific and
educational communities in 2012.

Introduced by Clayton Fiscus (R-District 46), who introduced a similar
bill in 2013, HB 321 purports to "emphasize critical thinking in
instruction related to controversial scientific theories on the origin
of life" such as "biological evolution, the chemical origins of life,
random mutation, natural selection, DNA, and fossil discoveries."

"That's all bunk," NCSE's Glenn Branch told the Gazette. "[Fiscus]
thinks that these whole fields are scientifically controversial, and
that's not true." He added that if enacted, the bill would allow
teachers with fringe or crank ideas to present them in class,
unchecked by administrations. "It's inviting the teachers to go
rogue."

Craig Beals, a Billings science teacher and the 2015 Montana Teacher
of the Year, told the newspaper that he teaches evolution, climate
change, and the Big Bang in his classes, adding, "The topics have long
been debated not because scientists disagree but because the topics
don't always agree with people's beliefs."

For the story in the Billings Gazette,
http://billingsgazette.com/news/government-and-politics/anti-evolution-bill-would-protect-hs-teachers-who-teach-creationism/article_6c80d5dc-13d4-5e28-a195-61e83e9d8d78.html 

For information about Montana's House Bill 321, visit:
http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2015/billhtml/HB0321.htm 

And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in Montana, visit:
http://ncse.com/news/montana 

PROGRESS IN SCOTLAND

The petition to ask the Scottish government to ban the teaching of
creationism in the public schools was revived when, at its January 27,
2015, meeting, the Public Petitions Committee of the Scottish
parliament decided to forward the petition to the Education and
Culture Committee for further action.

The Scottish Secular Society, which lodged the petition in 2014,
applauded the action in a January 27, 2015, press release, describing
the members of the Education and Culture Committee as "the people best
placed to consider the matter and understand the importance of good
science education to Scotland."

Previously, as NCSE reported, when the Public Petitions Committee
agreed to write to the Scottish government about the petition, the
government rejected the proposal in December 2014, telling the Glasgow
Herald (December 16, 2014), "The evidence available suggests that
guidance on these matters is unnecessary."

Among the organizations supporting the petition was NCSE, which
submitted written testimony in November 2014, and the Society of
Biology, the United Kingdom's largest organization of life scientists,
although its testimony was not available at the Public Petitions
Committee's November 2014 meeting due to administrative error.

As a result of the petition as well as a controversy over creationist
encroachments in the public schools in South Lanarkshire, Scotland --
which itself helped to prompt the petition -- there are now dueling
motions about creationism in the Scottish parliament.

For information about the Scottish Secular Society's petition, visit:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/gettinginvolved/petitions/creationismguidance 

For the Scottish Secular Society's press release, visit:
https://www.scottishsecularsociety.com/escalation-of-creationism-petition-to-education-and-culture-committee/ 

For the Glasgow Herald's story about the government's reaction to the
petition, visit:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/schools-creationism-ban-rejected-by-scottish-government.114739893 

For the testimony from NCSE and the Society of Biology (both PDF), visit:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/S4_PublicPetitionsCommittee/General%20Documents/PE1530_L_National_Center_for_Science_Education_07.11.14.pdf 
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/S4_PublicPetitionsCommittee/General%20Documents/PE1530_DD_Society_of_Biology_10.11.14.pdf 

And for NCSE's previous coverage of events abroad, visit:
http://ncse.com/news/international 

DUELING LEGISLATION IN SCOTLAND

As a result of a controversy over creationist encroachments in the
public schools in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, and a petition to the
Scottish parliament to ban the teaching of creationism as
scientifically credible, there are now dueling motions about
creationism in the Scottish parliament.

Motion S4M-12148, lodged on January 23, 2015, and entitled "Crackdown
against Creationism," "congratulates South Lanarkshire Council on
taking decisive action to prevent the teaching of creationism in
schools by introducing new guidance; condemns any promotion of
creationism in publicly funded schools, including the reported
distribution of creationist books at Kirktonholme Primary School;
believes that creationism should not be presented as a scientific
theory and viable alternative to the established theory of evolution,
and supports the Society of Biology and the Scottish Secular Society
position in opposing the teaching of creationism in the classroom."

The "decisive action" to which the motion refers was the adoption of
what the Glasgow Herald (January 23, 2015) described as "a raft of new
rules for non-denominational schools including criminal records checks
for chaplains and the insistence that teachers should be present
during visits by religious groups" as well as "guidance to ensure
homophobic or creationist teaching is barred." The new rules were
adopted after it was discovered in 2013 that young-earth creationist
material -- books published by Apologetics Press entitled How Do You
Know God is Real? and Exposing the Myth of Evolution -- was
distributed to students at Kirtonholme Primary School.

Motion S4M-12149, lodged on January 23, 2015, and entitled "Creation
and Evolution," notes South Lanarkshire Council's action without
comment, adding, unobjectionably, "some people believe that God
created the world in six days, some people believe that God created
the world over a longer period of time[,] and some people believe that
the world came about without anyone creating it." But the motion
further expresses the view "that none of these positions can be proved
or disproved by science and all are valid beliefs for people to hold."
John Mason, who lodged the motion, told the Glasgow Herald (January
23, 2015) that his motion was a response to the "Crackdown against
Creationism" motion.

In addition to S4M-12148 and S4M-12149, the Scottish parliament may
find itself contemplating the issue owing to the Scottish Secular
Society's petition to ban the teaching of creationism in the public
schools, which was recently forwarded to the Education and Culture
Committee.

For the two motions in the Scottish parliament, visit:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx?SearchType=Advance&ReferenceNumbers=S4M-12148 
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx?SearchType=Advance&ReferenceNumbers=S4M-12149 

For the Glasgow Herald's story about the South Lanarkshire Council, visit:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/education/councils-tough-new-rules-to-prevent-teaching-of-young-earth-creationism.116765351 

For the Glasgow Herald's story about the pro-creationist motion, visit:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/scottish-politics/christian-msp-science-cant-disprove-earth-created-in-six-days.116853853 

For information about the Scottish Secular Society's petition, visit:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/gettinginvolved/petitions/creationismguidance 

And for NCSE's previous coverage of events abroad, visit:
http://ncse.com/news/international 

NCSE THANKS ITS SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

As challenges to the integrity of science education burgeon at the
beginning of 2015, NCSE would like to thank its Supporting
Organizations for their generous assistance during the previous year.
The current Supporting Organizations of NCSE are the Howard Hughes
Medical Institute, the American Chemical Society, the American
Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for
Cell Biology, the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental
Therapeutics, the A. Robert Kaufman Foundation, the Paleontological
Society, the Society for the Study of Evolution, the Stiefel
Freethought Foundation, the American Association of Physical
Anthropologists, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, the
Society for Developmental Biology, the Society for Integrative and
Comparative Biology, and the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Organizations of all sorts, especially professional societies of
scientists and educators, business associations, charitable
foundations, and law firms, are eligible to become Supporting
Organizations of NCSE. "Joining NCSE as a Supporting Organization is a
potent way for organizations to support evolution and climate
education and defend the integrity of science," explained NCSE's
executive director Ann Reid. "Especially because annual contributions
from Supporting Organizations provide a much-needed stable income
stream to support NCSE's important work," she added. Suggested annual
levels of support are $10,000 (Crown), $5,000 (Branch), $1,000
(Trunk), and $500 (Root). Details of the Supporting Organization
program are available on NCSE's website.

For information on the Supporting Organization program, visit:
http://ncse.com/supporting_organizations 

DARWIN DAY APPROACHES

It's time to dust off your Darwin costume again: less than a week
remains before Darwin Day 2015! Colleges and universities, schools,
libraries, museums, churches, civic groups, and just plain folks
across the country -- and the world -- are preparing to celebrate
Darwin Day, on or around February 12, in honor of the life and work of
Charles Darwin. These events provide a marvelous opportunity not only
to celebrate Darwin's birthday but also to engage in public outreach
about science, evolution, and the importance of evolution education --
which is especially needed with assaults on evolution education
already under way in state legislatures. NCSE encourages its members
and friends to attend, participate in, and even organize Darwin Day
events in their own communities. To find a local event, check the
websites of local universities and museums and the registry of Darwin
Day events maintained by the Darwin Day Celebration website. (And
don't forget to register your own event with the Darwin Day
Celebration website!)

And with Darwin Day comes the return of Evolution Weekend! Hundreds of
congregations all over the country and around the world are taking
part in Evolution Weekend, February 13-15, 2015, by presenting sermons
and discussion groups on the compatibility of faith and science.
Michael Zimmerman, the initiator of the project, writes, "Evolution
Weekend is an opportunity for serious discussion and reflection on the
relationship between religion and science. One important goal is to
elevate the quality of the discussion on this critical topic -- to
move beyond sound bites. A second critical goal is to demonstrate that
religious people from many faiths and locations understand that
evolution is sound science and poses no problems for their faith.
Finally, as with The Clergy Letter itself, Evolution Weekend makes it
clear that those claiming that people must choose between religion and
science are creating a false dichotomy." At last count, 439
congregations in forty-five states (and twelve foreign countries) were
scheduled to hold Evolution Weekend events.

For the Darwin Day registry, visit:
http://darwinday.org/events/ 
http://darwinday.org/events/community/add 

For information about Evolution Weekend, visit:
http://www.evolutionweekend.org/ 

WHAT'S NEW FROM THE SCIENCE LEAGUE OF AMERICA

Have you been visiting NCSE's blog, The Science League of America,
recently? If not, then you've missed:

* Josh Rosenau reliving the history of climate policy for Groundhog Day:
http://ncse.com/blog/2015/02/groundhog-day-climate-policy-0016163 

* Minda Berbeco offering three cheers for our boring, boring, sun:
http://ncse.com/blog/2015/02/three-cheers-sun-0016175 

* A guest post from Warren Allmon discussing vestiges as evidence for evolution:
http://ncse.com/blog/2015/02/vestiges-as-evidence-evolution-0016132 

And much more besides!

For The Science League of America, visit:
http://ncse.com/blog 

Thanks for reading. And don't forget to visit NCSE's website --
http://ncse.com -- where you can always find the latest news on 
evolution and climate education and threats to them.

--
Sincerely,

Glenn Branch
Deputy Director
National Center for Science Education, Inc.
420 40th Street, Suite 2
Oakland, CA 94609-2509
510-601-7203 x303
fax: 510-601-7204
800-290-6006
branch@ncse.com 
http://ncse.com 

Check out NCSE's new blog, Science League of America:
http://ncse.com/blog 

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