Letter to the Editor: A differing view on global warming

A differing view on global warming
Dear Editor:
In response to Mr. Prosence’s letter on May 7, I have felt compelled to retort with some quick facts about the truth of what he refers to as “HCGW,” but what the rest of the educated world calls climate change.
Right out of the gate Mr. Prosence criticizes the scientific community for earning money and degrees for their research on climate change. What he fails to disclose is that his champions, the group known as Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow, has received more than $500,000 from Exxon, a company that has significant interest in disproving climate science for financial gain.
Quite frankly, Mr. Prosence’s entire argument is based on garbage science. The vast majority of studies done on climate science are independent and done by unbiased groups, with no interest in proving or disproving anything, simply finding the facts. And the facts are as follows:
• CO2 emissions have a direct effect on our climate, as evidenced by the near lock-step correlation between CO2 levels in the atmosphere and hikes in global temperatures;
• Sea levels have risen 17 centimeters over the last century, which is in direct conflict with Mr. Prosence’s statement that “polar ice is increasing;”
• Polar ice caps and glaciers are retreating at faster rates than naturally possible at this point in time; Changing extreme weather events, such as extreme lows and highs, have been increasing; and
• 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have occurred since the turn of the century.
I could go on, delve into ocean acidification, global temperature rise, ocean temperature rise, desertification and decreased snow cover, but I am sure that at this point the case has been made.
“Dark Winter” isn’t taught in classrooms for the same reasons we don’t teach any other works of fantasy in the science classroom. When using real science, there can be absolutely no doubt that humans are altering the globe’s climate, and rather than retreating into junk science and straw-man attacks, it’s time for our nation to take a place of leadership and work towards a sustainable future.
For those who have any doubt as to the truth of my claims, please reference nasa.gov, noaa.gov, and the IPCC report at ipcc.ch.
Joseph Newman
Meeker