Letter - Global warming starting to be accepted

To the editor:

In a recent letter, Pryce Score stated “not all scientists or climate experts believe in what used to be called global warming.” I hope the writer had the opportunity last week to listen to testimony before the State House and Senate Environment Committees. (Go to the Senate website, Tuesday, January 22 meeting.)

Dr. Mark Seely, University of Minnesota, Dr. John Abraham, University of St. Thomas, our well-respected Minnesota meteorologist Paul Douglas, and J. Drake Hamilton, science policy director for the non-profit Fresh Energy, all disagreed. Ninety seven percent of peer-reviewed, published, climate scientists see a connection between the data presented on warming and human activity.

Douglas quoted Paul Schopenhauer: “All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed; second, it is violently opposed; third, it is accepted as self-evident.” We see this climate truth now coming out of stage two.

As in the case of cigarette companies denying a connection between smoking and cancer, paid “doctors” have been enlisted to provide confusion and ridicule. Readers should be aware there is a great deal of misinformation being promulgated by the fossil fuel interests.

The facts to keep firmly in mind are: There has been a 1.4F degree warming in the past century. This is the global average, and implies that some places on Earth are actually colder and some are much warmer. For example, at the Detroit Lakes weather station, the average since 1960 is around 4F degrees warmer. Likewise at other area weather stations. Check this out at temperaturetrends.org. Click on Minnesota first and then on Congressional District 7.

The warmer temperatures around here are exactly as predicted by the real climatologists, who are not on the corporate payrolls. Also predicted is the melting of polar ice and ocean acidification, which is bad news for people who like fish.

Susanne Engstrom

Alexandria, MN

Tags: opinion, letters