Dear editor:
You are free to agree with Richard Ames if you so wish. But there are millions of scientists and you need to check out who the 700 scientists are that say our planet is not heating up. And go on the Internet and see what the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) says about global climate change. They say evidence for rapid climate change is compelling.
And take a little time and check out and compare the IPCC with the NIPCC which Mr. Ames says was more trustworthy than the IPCC. The Heartland Institute is tied to the NIPCC. They have previously been behind Phillip Morris trying to show tobacco and second-hand smoke are not bad for your health. Other disturbing ties include funding from Exxon and the Koch brothers' foundations. The NIPCC has no standing. The bottom line is that they are not a peer-reviewed documented group as the IPCC is. The NIPCC is irresponsible journalism.
People can follow the current level CO2 in our atmosphere by going to co2now.org on the Internet. The safe target limit of CO2 is 350 parts per million (ppm). The level reported for June 2014 was 401.30 ppm. The level reported for July was down to 399.0 ppm. But don't expect it to continue downward. You can follow the progression on graphs provided and you will be able to see that there has been an almost steady rise in CO2 levels since the 1950 levels just under 320 ppm. There is some consensus that when the CO2 levels reach 450 ppm and beyond, efforts to control the climate may be out of our hands. Some scientists already believe we are beyond a point where we can re-establish a safe level of CO2 and protect the earth with an atmosphere that will sustain life as we know it.
I guess because Al Gore played a part in bringing concerns about global warming, some people think it is just a ploy by the Democrats to gain money and power. All I can say to those people is that they need to remember it was the Democrats who also got behind and helped bring about social movements like civil rights, workers rights, women's rights, food safety laws, Social Security, and health care. Movements, in general, which try to look out for all people, not just the corporate oligarchs. You decide who you want to believe.
Bill Wiedmann
Hot Springs
Editorial on 08/27/2014