Editor,
The last couple of weeks have seen letters from climate change skeptics in response to Tom Osborne’s article (Green Light, “Rollinger and Council Act on Climate Change,” Jan. 27). I wonder over the hypothetical situation; if these individuals were to be given the same diagnosis from nine medical doctors and a different diagnosis from one doctor, would they take the advice of the one over the nine? If not, then why do they disbelieve 90% of the world’s climate scientists?
I also wonder what is so bad about playing it safe? Taking steps to reduce fossil fuel consumption would increase air quality, reduce imports of fuel, reduce our trade deficit, and reduce the dollars flowing to unfriendly nations. We would be assured oil supplies for the future for essential items such as medical supplies rather than squandering oil on driving around the corner! American jobs could be created manufacturing green technology and constructing and running mass transit systems. The down side, less traffic congestion.
If you don’t like change, that is fine. Many of us don’t. That being the case, start making some small changes that you have a choice about right now. If you don’t, I think there will be some major, unpleasant changes coming down the road brought about by climate change. I use the word climate change since it is not global warming but global climate weirdness!
Let’s review 2011…
According to NASA, 2011 was the ninth warmest year in 132 years of record keeping. It was also the second wettest year. The wettest being 2010. Nine out of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred in the last 11 years. .
Remember in January 2011 Brazil had floods and landslides that killed 900 and an area of Australia equal to France and Germany combined was flooded. What about Thailand? Floods caused $45 billion in damage, the most costly natural disaster in the country’s history.
El Salvador received five feet of rain in 10 days in October and over 1,200 lives were lost in The Philippines in December.
How about Hurricane Irene and the fact that seven states experienced the wettest year on record while several others had the driest year? Wichita Falls, Tex., experienced 100 days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking all records. Oklahoma and Texas had the hottest summers of any states in history. The weather that helped caused the dust bowl was nothing in comparison.
Seven countries set all-time temperature highs in 2011: Armenia, China, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Republic of the Congo, and Zambia. Kuwait got up to 127.9 F. This was the hottest temperature ever recorded on earth for the month of August. The world’s hottest 24 hrs (107 F) was recoded in Oman in June. Barrow, Alaska, enjoyed a record breaking 86 consecutive days above freezing.
You can pretend it’s not happening if you like.
Max Isles, Laguna Beach
