User:Benjamindbrooks/Manpollo Project

The Manpollo Project is an internet based collaboration of concerned world citizens, some with scientific training, some without, who hail from all walks of life, from many different areas of the world, including a large proportion from the USA. The Project's stated aim; taken from the groups website is

" '...to provide a risk-management perspective to the often political debate of global warming. We aim to quantify the possible consequences of various international, national, statewide, and personal actions (or inaction), based upon economic and climate models provided by top scientists in their respective fields. Furthermore, we wish to shift the question often asked in popular culture from 'Are we certain we're responsible for global warming?' to 'Given the risks and uncertainties of global warming, what is the best action to take?'' "

Background and Inspiration
The Manpollo Project was inspired by the YouTube video "The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See" (released June 8th 2007)  and the YouTube Serial "How It All Ends"(released October 10th 2007) in which Oregonian high school teacher Greg Craven describes a method of applying risk management strategies to the problem of Anthropogenic (Human Caused) Global Warming through the use of a decision grid.



The Grid
The arguement of the risk assessment grid is relatively simple. The two rows debate whether anthropogenic global warming is happening, and the two columns debate the action that people, organisations or governments take against Climate Change. This arguement has had many critiques levelled at it, including the statement that it is vastly over-simplified. The rebuttal to this given by the arguements proponents is that although over-simplified, anyone and indeed everyone are asked to re-work the risk management grid for themselves; inserting as many rows and/or columns as they wish. The proponents also state that however the grid is re-worked, the pattern produced and conclusions drawn are the same.

Why 'Manpollo'?
The Name for the collaboration "The Manpollo Project" is a contraction of the amalgamation of two world scale historical projects spearheaded by the United States of America; these being the Manhattan Project (1940's; to produce the worlds first nuclear weapons) and the Apollo Programme (1960's; the NASA programme to put astronauts on the moon).

Inaugauration
Prior to the creation of manpollo.org in October 2007, the video "The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See" had been through at least two cycles of viral dissemination on the internet, the first generating thousands of critiques from YouTube viewers, and the second coming after the release of the "How It All Ends" series of improved and stronger arguements.

In the "How It All Ends" series, Mr. Craven suggested the formation of a worldwide project on the scale of the Apollo Programme or the Manhattan Project to assess the risk and complete the risk assessment grid to greater detail. This has spurred several individuals on the internet to start-up various small scale projects along this line; including, but not limited to a Facebook Application and a second Manpollo project website to spread the word www.manpollo-project.org

Of these initial start up projects, Manpollo.org appears to be the one that has garnered the most members and achieved the most success, with 211 members (as of 12/07/2008)and being the site of choice for discussion of the upcoming book "What's The Worst That Can Happen?" due to be published in September 2008 that Mr. Craven is writing.

Current Projects

 * “What’s the Worst That Could Happen?" is currently being written (due September 2008). Many Manpollo forum users are contributing time researching and investigating, as well as doing outreach to spread the simple message contained at manpollo.org ... This book project is geared towards explaining risk management to a general audience in layman's terms, to come to a self understanding of the risks associated with climate change and science. Anyone with access to the internet is welcome to contribute to this project.


 * A $5 DVD (single disc edition) has already been released containing the whole of the "How It All Ends" series as of June 1, 2008.