Climate Change Debate as a “contact Zone”

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Society’s relationship with the natural world can be seen as a “contact zone”, just like Guaman Poma’s letter. When scientists conduct research, their results are put into scientific terms that the scientists themselves would understand, but the general public would not. An example of this is the previous discussion of the Earth’s orbital tilt, which is between twenty-two and twenty-five degrees. Scientists are aware of the terminology they are using, but “it will read very differently to people in different positions in the contact zone.” This means that people who are not scientists or are not familiar with science would not understand, making this a contact zone. The problem that arises when scientists try to translate their findings is that the translation may not be exact or could be confusing to the general public like Guaman Poma’s letter.

It is clear that in this scientific debate over climate change, the scientists have more power over the general public. This is because of the complicated language that scientists use in their research that implants the public with fear. They are fearful because they are not knowledgeable on certain scientific topics and are unaware of the research and studies being done by the scientists. They are also fearful because they are unsure if the scientists are telling them all of their findings or if the scientists are leaving things out. Pratt explains that this imbalance of power has been seen in previous “contact zones” such as slavery.

The scientific debate about the Earth’s climate change is a true description of a contact zone because two cultures, man and nature, are interacting with each other in a heterogeneous way. Pratt gives an example of “when speakers are from different classes or cultures, or one party is exercising authority and another is submitting to it or questioning it.” This explains the situation of scientists and the general public in the scientific debate about climate change.

Herath, Anuradha K. "The Climate Change Debate: Man vs. Nature." LiveScience. TechMedia

Network, 05 Oct. 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

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