Defends LWV's position on global warming
This is a reply to the Dec. 26 letter to the editor from Peter Malone of St. Charles who advises the League of Women Voters to change their national stand on climate change.
The LWV state, "Global climate change is one of the most serious threats to the environment, health and economy of our nation. Recent scientific studies show that global warming is already causing environmental changes that will have significant global economic and social impacts."
The LWV goes on to state, "The league believes that now is the time to act on global climate change. We can reduce global warming pollution by using existing technologies to make power plants and factories more efficient, make cars go farther on a gallon of gasoline and shift to cleaner technologies. Cities, states and individuals are already adopting many of these solutions, which also reduce our dependence on oil, reduce air pollution, and protect pristine places from oil drilling and mining. State and local initiatives are proving that answers exist."
Malone cites the Petition Project as the Web site to visit for more information to the contrary. I visited "petition project debunked." And there were 28,100 additional Web sites to go to showing how misleading this 'petition project" is.
I looked up Drs. F. Seitz and E. Teller, well known physicists whom Malone quoted. Professor Seitz was the president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences 30 years ago. But in 2005, the National Academy of Sciences, which the White House calls the "gold standard" of objective scientific measurement, issued a joint statement together with 10 other National Academies of Science saying that "the scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action. It is vital that all nations identify cost-effective steps that they can take now to contribute to long term reduction in net global greenhouse gas emissions." Thirty years ago, when Professor Seitz was the president, the data was not in.
Green jobs are coming. Wind technology is growing. Solar technology is getting cheaper. Answers exist, we just need the will to implement them.
Sandy Kaptain
Elgin
Climate Change chair
League of Women Voters of the Elgin Area