I am a scientist (despite the unfounded opinion of at least one local politician): BS Physics (The Citadel), MS Engineering (Purdue University). And I agree 100 percent with Mr. Outlaw’s letter, recently posted in The Citizen.
When I was a pilot (ASEL, early 1970s to early ’80s), understanding the weather was a matter of life or death. Later, I began reading books and papers on climate — before it was a political hot button. More recently, I’ve spent a lot of time studying basic data and reading peer-reviewed articles in legitimate journals, articles from web sites ending in .gov and .edu, and reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
There can be no question that (1) greenhouse gasses, in particular, carbon dioxide (CO2), have increased since the beginning of the industrial revolution when humankind began burning large quantities of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas); (2) these fossil fuels (as identified by chemical and radiometric signatures) are the source of that CO2; (3) these greenhouse gasses are significant contributors to the warming of the Earth; and (4) the average temperature of the Earth has risen and this is causing the melt of ice, tundra, and (if not now, in the future) methane clathrates, all of which create an adverse feedback loop causing more warming and more melting.
Further, it cannot be denied except by those who are either ignorant or willingly perverse that this can and will lead to catastrophe if not checked.
There is no question that the truth is being obscured by shills of the energy sector. I encourage you to read Naomi Orestes’ book, “Merchants of Doubt.” Actually, I would first encourage you to throw off the blinders of prejudice and propaganda and to seriously consider the problem.
I recently held a conversation with a woman, a medical professional, about the damage that we humans were doing to Earth. We focused on plastics: the waste created, for example, in a hospital cafeteria: Styrofoam, plastic utensils, and water bottles — plastic that may become part of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch or be buried in landfills. Her response was that she believed God would take care of us. Fix things, she explained.
I am an atheist. If God (e.g., the one in the Bible) exists, then he is not part of this equation. If we continue to mess up this Earth, the only planet we have, I really don’t think he’s going to intervene, but will allow us to destroy ourselves. Whether you are a believer or not, I want you to ask: “What can I do?” and, more important, “What should I do?”
Paul Lentz
Peachtree City, Ga.
