To the editor:
I am the “neighbor” addressed by Ross Wilkinson in his recent letter, “Is the Sky Falling?” Yes, I am a volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL). I hope all readers will take a look at CCL’s web site (https://citizensclimatelobby.org) to see if it has a “wealth redistributionist political agenda,” as asserted by Mr. Wilkinson.
Is the sky falling? The heat transfer scientists of the 19th century concluded (without motivation by any political or economic agenda) that adding carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere will increase the temperature of the atmosphere. Indeed, the atmosphere’s temperature has increased by 2°F since 1900, and we’ve added enough CO2 to the atmosphere to account for the rise in temperature (using the same 19th-century physics and chemistry to reach that conclusion). Indeed, contemporary climate scientists now tell us that human activities account for more warming than has actually taken place. The difference is due to natural factors, such as slightly declining solar radiation, which would have moderately cooled the planet in the absence of homo sapiens.
The sky isn’t falling, but our planet is warming up, and that warming has dangerous consequences. Mr. Wilkinson, if human activities are not responsible for this warming, then what is?
Joel Huberman
Peterborough,