Political will for a livable world
Published Letters
In criticizing Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s support for cap and trade, Ben Boychuk’s column adopts the “Doubt is our product” motto of the tobacco industry, describing global warming as hypothetical. Sure, an iceberg the size of Delaware just broke off Antarctica, but that’s just a coincidence, as are recent record storms, floods and droughts. And look: Brown and Schwarzenegger want to address warming. Sure, cap and trade is not as good Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s carbon tax whose proceeds are refunded to the population. But any moves to address global warming are illegitimate, and politicians are notoriously liars. Pay no attention to them. I’d guess that on planet Boychuk, even if more than 97 percent of scientists believe it’s real, gravity remains an article of faith too.
Mark Dempsey, Orangevale
Published on August 5, 2017 in hard copy and online
“Report finds dire impact of climate change on the U.S.” (Page 1A, Aug. 8): Climate scientists sent a draft of their climate assessment to the press out of fear that the Trump administration would censor the document. Given the anti- science steps taken by the administration, those scientists’ fears are warranted. It’s unacceptable that scientists fear politicians will tamper with their research.
Dana Nuccitelli, West Sacramento
Published on August 9, 2017 in hard copy and online
“US scientists contradict Trump's climate claims” (sacbee.com, Aug. 8): Did we really need another report to warn us of the dangers of climate change? As Al Gore has stated repeatedly, watching the television news is like taking a nature walk through the Book of Revelations. Sacramento broke a historic record for most consecutive days over 90 degrees. The governor of North Dakota requested a federal emergency declaration because of drought. We once again witnessed destructive flooding in New Orleans, while Seattle is struggling with air pollution from raging Canadian fires. The Northwest is coping with an unprecedented heat wave. Every month Mother Nature sends us a new batch of extreme weather event warnings. To quote the old song: “When will we ever learn, when will we ever learn?”
Harold Ferber, Elk Grove
Published on August 12, 2017 in hard copy and online