THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 20, 1995 TAG: 9505190090
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By SCOTT HARPER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
GLOBAL WARMING is not exactly the stuff of Saturday morning cartoons. It involves words like ``chlorofluorocarbons'' and ``desertification.'' Even scientists have trouble understanding what this phenomenon is - or if it even exists.
This background may explain the belching cow.
The cardboard cow is one part of a sprawling new exhibit on global warming and the greenhouse effect that opens today at the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton.
Moreover, it symbolizes a central theme of the exhibit: Bring down to earth the very complicated theories surrounding the notion that our planet is slowly getting hotter.
After all, who can't relate to a flatulent cow?
For the record, the cow is intended to draw curious visitors to a glass case that describes how exhaust from livestock contains methane gas. Methane is a so-called greenhouse gas, which, according to some scientists, is forming a thin shell around the globe that blocks heat from exiting into space.
Hence, temperatures are gradually increasing on Earth. This, the exhibit explains, may cause all types of dangerous side effects - rising sea levels and flooding, changes in weather patterns, greater potential for disease, spread of deserts (desertification).
Since global warming first grabbed national attention in the 1980s, critics have abounded. Some scientists believe there is nothing to worry about, that global warming is a cyclical trend and that doomsday theories are just rallying cries for liberal environmentalists and grant-hungry researchers.
The exhibit, called ``Greenhouse Earth,'' treads lightly. Qualifying statements such as ``may be a threat'' and ``some scientists believe'' fill the many display cases throughout the 5,000-square-foot walk-through.
There even is a short film entitled ``Uncertainties,'' which details questions and variables in the ongoing debate, and a separate display called ``Future Is Cloudy.''
The exhibit is the first environmental show the Air and Space Center has commissioned, said executive director Kim L. Maher. But why choose such a contentious subject as global warming to christen environmentalism at the museum?
``If we talked about only the issues where there was a universal consensus, there wouldn't be much to talk about,'' Maher said.
``Sure, there's still debate on global warming, but we felt it was important to bring together a cogent, fair-minded exhibit on the subject and let people decide for themselves,'' she added. ``That's part of our role here.''
The exhibit was constructed by the Association of Science-Technology Centers in conjunction with the Franklin Institute. The National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy and two private foundations helped finance the project, which has been touring museums around the country since 1992.
It will be in Hampton until Sept. 30 and can be viewed for the price of general admission ($4 for adults, $2 for children ages 3 to 12).
In league with the burping cow are many interactive displays and folksy items intended to make the exhibit more accessible. They include a computer that allows visitors to check the weather on their birthday and a bicycle that, when peddled, shows how much energy it takes to run household goods.
Despite down-to-earth techniques, Maher conceded that the sophistication of the exhibit remains ``above the elementary school level.'' But she stressed that there is plenty for youngsters to absorb, noting that live shows and demonstrations will accompany the exhibit every day.
Among issues stressed at the exhibit, energy conservation is a big one. According to one display, electric power is responsible for one-third of all carbon dioxide, another greenhouse gas, spewed into the atmosphere by the United States. Most of that comes from burning fossil fuels, such as coal and oil.
``Clean, renewable energy, coming mostly from the sun, may be the key to a stable economy in a greenhouse world,'' the display concludes.
Population control is another focal point. Here, the exhibit is quite pointed, saying: ``If we want to control the greenhouse effect, we've got to control population and energy use,'' a display reads.
In assessing the exhibit's message, one local scientist said it seems to stand on solid ground.
``People shouldn't be scared about global warming,'' said Bruce A. Wielicki, branch head of radiation sciences for NASA Langley, ``but they should be responsibly concerned.
``We're starting to notice a real change in the composition of our Earth . Wielicki added. ``If it's presented in that way, it's OK. The last we should do is not discuss it at all.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by Christopher Reddick
New exhibit on global warming and the greenhouse effect opens today
by CNB