×

Climate change views

Dear Editor,

Arthur Stewart is a good man. As a member of the Warren County School Board, he has dedicated time and expertise for the benefit of Warren County residents for many years. I doubt, however, if Stewart’s recent WTO remarks represent WCSB’s position.

Stewart cited his “respect for the student’s (Storm Sivak) right to express his views.” Then he chided WTO for stating that the student’s climate change views “were well researched.”

Stewart cherry-picked five conservative scientists and encouraged readers to do some research homework. He listed the following: Lennart Bengstrom – who did not deny climate change but said “we need longer-term study as to the human cause factor;” Richard Lindzen – a critic of scientific consensus on climate change, calls them “alarmists.” In a 2007 interview with Larry King, he said “physics says we should see less flooding, plaques and increased storminess;” Nir Shavin – denies human activity causes climate change, that 2/3 to 1/2 of warming is due to solar activity; Judith Cherry – “We don’t know what is causing climate change; warming may not be a bad thing, adding Co2 to atmosphere will warm the planet;” John Christy – “doubts that human activity is to blame for most of the recent warming; I can say that certainly warming has not occurred since 1998.”

Some global warming contrarians since the mid-1990s have asserted that the atmosphere is not warming but actually cooling. Other scientists found faults with the contrarians’ data. Global warming has occurred since 1998.

Conservative global change denying scientists were frequent witnesses for the GOP controlled congressional committee hearings during Trump’s first two years. Conservative politicians, e.g. Dana Rohrabacher D 48, believe global change is a liberal plot whereby it gives the government an excuse to control human activity, lives, and freedom. Rohrabacher lost his safe Republican seat in 2018.

Acting EPA chief, Mark Wheeler – former coal industry lobbyist – recently appointed global change denier John Christy to the Science Advisory Board; Wheeler wants the EPA to focus on water and less on air. (I guess coal has less effect on the water than air).

Student Sivak acknowledged there were climate change dissenters to the science community’s overwhelming consensus. It appears to me Stewart’s position is the one not “well researched.”

Monday, April 22 is Earth Day. Picking up litter and re-cycling are nice and good, but Student Sivak was encouraging us to adjust our focus on 2019 (21st century) concerns of Ozone, drinkable water, healthy air, and political pressure to confront these concerns.

Let us encourage our youth, not dispirit them.

Don Scott,

Warren

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today