UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 22, Page 8
March 5, 1992
Geography professor caught in national media 'Crossfire'

     Feb. 10 began very early for Laurence S. Kalkstein. The
geography professor started with an ozone depletion briefing on the
seventh floor of the Washington, D.C., Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) building. After absorbing the latest statistics on
this environmental issue, he rushed off to the Cable News Network
(CNN) Washington studios where make-up artists coated his face.
     He had been nervous all morning. At 7:30 p.m., he appeared
live on CNN's debate show, "Crossfire."
     The argumentative show's objective is to present two
contrasting viewpoints on virtually any issue, Kalkstein said. An
expert "on the left" and an expert "on the right" are pitted
against one another. Liberal and conservative commentators join in
to debate an issue.
     Kalkstein and his commentator, Mike Kinsley, defended the
liberal side of the ozone depletion/global warming argument. They
argued with Patrick Michaels, the state climatologist for Virginia
and professor of geography at the University of Virginia, and Mona
Charen, a conservative journalist.
     The ozone depletion issue was again in the news because, the
previous week, NASA had reported frightening amounts of
chloroflourocarbons (CFC's) in the atmosphere above North America
and Europe.
     These chemicals, found in refrigerators, air conditioners and
some aerosol spray cans, are said to destroy the Earth's protective
ozone layer.
     Ozone filters the sun's ultraviolet rays as they travel to the
Earth's surface. Without ozone protection, humans will experience
increases in cases of skin cancer, cataracts and damage to the
immune system. Significant damage to plants and coral reefs would
also occur. NASA's report prompted the Senate to pass a policy
which will hasten the elimination of CFC production.
     Michaels and Charen argued that there is no solid scientific
proof that ozone depletion and global warming are problems. Without
this proof, they said it is unwise to create national policy that
will affect America's economy.
     Kalkstein said that conservatives think the environmental
movement is made up of extremists on the left who want the country
to move back to the horse and buggy age.
     Their view is scientific proof is necessary before policy is
made, especially since policy can hurt big business and industry.
     Although there are credible scientists on both the
conservative and liberal sides of the argument, Kalkstein said his
response to the conservatives is: "In my opinion they're just
misguided. And, again, I want to make it clear that I'm not certain
that the Earth is going to warm. Who knows? But, let's assume
there's a 50-50 chance, Isn't that a high enough risk that we
should be doing something about it?"
     He concurs that ozone depletion and global warming are
unproven, but he said he believes that although potential negative
economic ramifications could result from implementing policy before
science has definitely proved these problems, we must begin to take
action before it's too late. Also, he said he thinks that political
scientists should be developing cost-effective policy
simultaneously with scientists' empirical research.
     Kalkstein calls this approach, which the EPA endorses a "no
regrets policy." Even if research proves the estimates wrong on
ozone depletion or global warming, there is nothing wrong with
developing policy to prevent polluting gases from accumulating in
the atmosphere.
     "In my mind, skeptics will never be convinced that the Earth
is warming. I mean, let's say the Earth warms 2 degrees, skeptics
can always fall back and say, "Oh, it's just a natural cycle. It'll
go back down." Maybe they're right. Maybe they're wrong," Kalkstein
said.
     He said he was nervous about the live show before it began.
"It was live, which is very frightening. You are right there. If
you mess up, there's no turning back." But, once the show began, he
said he felt pretty confident because he knew he had obtained
up-to-date information at the EPA that morning.
     The show's producers want the show to be entertaining, he
said. They encourage clashes and raised voices. However, Kalkstein
said, you are constantly interrupted, so you are expected to make
your point in 15 seconds before you are interrupted again.
     "The problem is," he explained, "that you really can't get
much accomplished in a half hour TV show with four people trying to
speak."
     The Feb. 10 show was Kalkstein's second appearance on
"Crossfire." In August 1989, he was there to argue specifically
about global warming. After the recent show, the producers asked
Kalkstein to return. He said he probably will be on "Crossfire"
again, and now John Sununu, former presidential chief of staff, is
the conservative commentator.
                                        - Laura Reisinger