I want to share a letter than appeared in this past week's Durango Telegraph. Since a new issue is coming out today, I figure I'll give Peter Veals' (climate scientist) Letter to the Editor at the Durango Telegraph a little more exposure. It's worth reading and considering. I follow with links to authoritative resources
Mr. Brown is a perfect example of the old school that believes faith is more important than facts and that experts can be disregarded because his ego makes him believe he's smarter than actual trained, experienced experts. And why are people wanting to re-elect this man?
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J. Paul’s ill-informed science
August 4, 2016 | Durango Telegraph
To the editor,
J. Paul Brown’s remarks to the State Legislature (as reported by the Herald, May 4, 2016) regarding human-caused climate change reveal him to be an ill-informed and irresponsible representative of Southwest Colorado.
Scientists and their work published in peer-reviewed scientific journals are the bedrock upon which mankind’s incredible achievements have been built. The polio vaccine, chemotherapy, the fact that the earth orbits the sun, semiconductor chips, GPS satellites … almost no one questions these discoveries made by the scientific community. Why? Probably because most of these things are immediately tangible: your phone and computer with semiconductor chips do amazing things before your eyes. It is easy to say “my pastures don’t look any different” and think that the global climate isn’t being affected by greenhouse gas emissions.
But science tells us that, undeniably, CO2 is what re-radiates the sun’s energy back toward the Earth’s surface, keeping our planet warm. Science tells us that burning fossil fuels produces CO2, and that we produce over 20 billion tons of CO2 per year by burning them. The vast majority of Earth’s glaciers are shrinking, high-temperature records are being broken at double the rate of low temperature records, and the Arctic sea ice continues to shrink nearly every year. Science tells us that when the long-term weather stations around the world are averaged, 2014 was the warmest year since records have been kept. And then 2015 shattered that record to become the warmest.
But it is difficult for someone like Brown to understand these facts because it still snows on his pastures every winter. That’s why he should leave the science to the professionals; 97 percent of climate scientists agree that humans are causing climate change. Instead of turning to farcical sources that recirculate the same, paid nonexperts and debunked claims to “refute” climate science, J. Paul Brown should examine some legitimate scientific literature and consider the future of our corner of the state.
– Peter Veals, atmospheric scientist, Ph.D candidate, University of Utah, DHS Class of 2007
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The evidence for rapid manmade climate change is compelling:
Climate change: How do we know?
The Earth's climate has changed throughout history. Just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 7,000 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era — and of human civilization. Most of these climate changes are attributed to very small variations in Earth’s orbit that change the amount of solar energy our planet receives.
The current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is very likely human-induced and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented in the past 1,300 years.1
Earth-orbiting satellites and other technological advances have enabled scientists to see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. This body of data, collected over many years, reveals the signals of a changing climate.
The heat-trapping nature of carbon dioxide and other gases was demonstrated in the mid-19th century.2 Their ability to affect the transfer of infrared energy through the atmosphere is the scientific basis of many instruments flown by NASA. There is no question that increased levels of greenhouse gases must cause the Earth to warm in response.
Ice cores drawn from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain glaciers show that the Earth’s climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels. They also show that in the past, large changes in climate have happened very quickly, geologically-speaking: in tens of years, not in millions or even thousands.3
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http://ossfoundation.us/projects/environment/global-warming/myths
Myths vs. Facts: Global Warming | Open Source Systems, Science, Solutions
Myths vs. Facts in Global Warming: This news and analysis section addresses substance of arguments such as "global warming is a hoax", "global warming is a fiction", "global warming is created to make money for Al Gore". The main fallacy noted is that most arguments are facts out of context while others are simply false representations. When the facts pertaining to the arguments are viewed in context relevance becomes obvious. The data clearly indicates global warming is happening and is human caused. At this time in the natural cycle Earth should be slightly cooling on trend, leading into what would have been the next ice age. Instead Earth is warming. There is no valid evidence that can prove otherwise. False representations or facts out of context are not a proof of any kind, they are merely incorrect.
A REAL CLIMATE ASSESSMENT
Scientists dedicated to science. No exaggerations. No hype. Theses scientists work in the top science organizations around the world. They look at the arguments, the data, and the models and give an honest reasoned assessment of what we know, and what we need to learn.
Read More…
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Rep. J. Paul “Cletus” Brown Takes on Climate Change
Colorado Pols | May 5, 2016
Locals with an education agree:
“It’s an incredibly out-of-touch statement from a legislator whose district continues to have major challenges with air pollution,” said Jessica Goad, spokeswoman for Conservation Colorado. “Politicians like Rep. Brown, who flat-out deny that climate change is occurring, risk their own credibility, especially in the eyes of voters.”The issue could play out during Brown’s re-election bid this year against retired Durango teacher Barbara McLachlan, who responded: “When did science become a belief system?”
The answer to that question is simple: before science, everything was a “belief system.”
But today, we have science. Most of us, anyway.
- See more at: http://coloradopols.com/diary/83358/rep-j-paul-cletus-brown-takes-on-climate-change#sthash.tTbRrRtx.dpuf
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