Response to John Carlson's "The Cooling of Global Warming," Redmond Reporter, 5-14-08

Letter to the Editor
May 17, 2008

On my desk is a recent issue of the Redmond Reporter, which devotes two pages to a faux-sceintific commentary by John Carlson on "what science is actually telling us about our climate." According to Carlson, the period from 1940-1970 (in which the earth cooled 0.1 degree C) and from 1998-present (which cooled even less) shows that Global Warming is a myth.

What he conveniently leaves out is that from 1880-present the overall change was an increase of 0.9 degrees C.

He also either leaves out, or is ignorant of, the fact that climate change models do not predict consistent warming, but periodic cooling as well, as fresh water from melting icebergs causes oceans temporarily to cool down. Al Gore could have told him that. If he had been listening.

Social debate about Global Warming is really not about science, as Carlson's (mis)use of it shows, but about an issue much closer to home– our ways of life. Behind the most vocal doubters' tantrums is a desire to protect this way of life we have built - energy-guzzling bigscreen tvs so we don't have to talk to each other at home, water-thirsty lawns that keep us safe from neighbors, ever-widening highways so we don't have to sit next to each other while we commute, and irresponsible commentaries issued in newspapers so we don't have to face those we debate. There is natural resistance to sacrificing things we have grown accustomed to, and so for people like Carlson, I can see why this would make him defensive.

The debate is really between people who want to justify our comfort zones and our right to waste more resources than most people in theworld have to live on, and others whose sensitivity to the suffering in the world - both in nature and in humans - does not afford us the luxury of this ignorance. For better or worse, I find myself a member of the latter group, and I feel outrage at the thinly-veiled attempts of public figures who use their mouthpieces to sway others in order to make their own lives easier.

The truth is, the simple things we have to do to stop Global Warming make sense on many fronts. Buying more energy-efficient cars or better – building public transport – can help us conserve resources that are limited. Using energy-efficient appliances and lightbulbs can shave hundreds of dollars off home energy bills. Switching to clean sources of energy (wind, hydro, solar) can improve our children's health (coal plant emissions cause asthma in children).

So why all the fuss, John Carlson? Is it too much of an inconvenience for you to care?

Andrew Varyu,
Redmond, Washington

Economic sins

Buying on credit, if for other than cash flow reasons, thus living beyond our means. Signifies a lack of satisfaction with the abundance god provides, pride in taking into our own hands the substance of our fulfillment, and a rejection of god's gifts.
buying an SUV if to enjoy the sense of power and protection it affords. Signifies a lack of faith in god to protect us, and a willingness to destroy god's creation for the sake of personal comfort, hence not treating our neighbors as ourselves.
Saving any money before we give ten percent of it away.

We should Ask god to help us Examine our hearts to find any sin in our own economic decisions.