Standing up for science

Cyrus Taylor was addressing a community gathering about the effects of climate change, lamenting the misinformation the subject attracts, when a member of the audience offered an observation both hopeful and sad. “The good thing about science,” he said, “it’s true whether you believe it or not.”

Taylor smiled. In an age of skepticism and conspiracy theories, people who embrace scientific facts may have to take some solace simply knowing they are right. But the Albert A. Michelson Professor of Physics is going beyond that, as you’ll learn in the cover story in this issue. The former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences is on a crusade to illuminate the perils of global warming and help us to respond, even if that means standing up to science deniers.

Taylor dove into Ohio politics to oppose a proposed law that would suppress the discussion of “controversial topics” like climate change at Ohio’s public universities. Closer to home, he helped to persuade a regional planning body to adopt a climate action plan.

He works with a quiet fervor, fueled by facts he sees as irrefutable and dire. Last year was the hottest in recorded history. Taylor will show you why with graphs and trend lines. He’ll explain how greenhouse gas emissions, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, are warming the planet to dangerous levels. The extreme storms, floods, and fires of recent years will only grow worse, he warns.

Taylor also preaches hope. We’re not powerless to change the calculus, he says. He helped to launch Case’s Climate Action Week, and he installed solar panels on his roof. Thanks to some smart national leadership, green energy options are growing more available each day, he notes.

Will it work? Can we turn the tide? The upbeat scientist thinks we can. But that starts with science regaining the respect it deserves. And that, he says, is worth fighting for.