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All must help stop global warming |
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Written by Eddie Konczal
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Thursday, 08 March 2007 |
Published in The Courier-News
Click here for link to published letter
In his letter, "Evidence shows warming is a lie," Dr. Leo F. Johnson argues that because Eric the Red named Greenland "Green," we should not be concerned about the effects of today's global warming threat.
I was not aware that Eric the Red was a qualified climatologist. One piece of anecdotal evidence from 1,000 years ago should not invalidate the consensus of the modern scientific community: that worldwide climate change, largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels, presents a grave threat to our existence on this planet.
While there have been periods of warming in the past, none have been exacerbated by carbon emissions resulting from human activity. The Industrial Revolution gave humans the ability to magnify the effects of climate trends. Fortunately, it's not too late to begin reversing these trends.
We can switch to hybrid cars, replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs and enroll in "clean energy" programs. The solution begins with acknowledging there is a threat, not ignoring or denying it.
In closing, I would like to add that in Eric the Red's time, many people believed the Earth was flat. Perhaps Dr. Johnson can consider joining the Flat Earth Society -- if he hasn't already.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 28 July 2007 )
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