Climate change is a hot topic in the United States. A furious debate over the cause burns between people and organizations in all areas of public and private life. One organization that was recently placed into the center of the battle is the Heartland Institute.

The group plans to try to affect the content of school textbooks to cast into doubt the possibility that man plays a part in climate change. By doing so, the Heartland Institute influences the beliefs of students who, without other credible sources of information, are unable to form their own opinion.

Regardless of humanity’s influences on global warming, facts exist. Current evidence indicates increasing air and water temperatures around the world. Whether you think it is due to human pollution or not, 82 percent of scientists believe human activity has an impact on it. Opinions on the effects may vary, but everything from extended drought, altered flood cycles and rising sea levels has been suggested.

What the Heartland Institute is trying to do is affect scientific facts. Any attempt to interject bias into what is taught in school creates a generation of ignorance. At that point, there is much more at stake than politics and talking points. What students learn in primary school develops into a foundation for the rest of their lives.

Education should teach facts. While what we accept as true may change with new scientific findings over time, it is important to use accurate, peer-reviewed data in order to educate our youth. Regardless of your beliefs, it benefits us all to teach the facts and let students sort out truth.

Facts on global warming may lead to policy changes on pollution. It may increase our inconveniences and enforce corporate cutbacks. However, the benefit of the public, if global warming is what facts indicate, must be held above our private comforts and corporate profits. Otherwise, we risk losing clean air, water and a clean environment for future generations.

Perhaps science will disprove global warming. But we need the information and we need to form our own opinions before we can make decisions affecting corporations’ profit margins. The problem of global warming, either true or false, is too critical to leave to political agendas.

No matter what ideological leanings you may have, it is important to use proper data to illuminate the problem. From that point, it is possible to take different paths to find a viable solution to the problem. But if a generation is taught to disbelieve science, it will support politicians who do the same, and it will be impossible to even identify what our problems really are.