Stop global warming

Dear Editor:I'd like to respond to the letter by Elsa Van Leuven in last week's Patriot regarding the "myth" of global warming. First, I want to commend Ms. Van Leuven for her recommendation that we protect the environment by using a clothesline to dry our clothes as her mother did. That is a good idea. Also that we use soft cloth reusable diapers instead of the disposable ones. I used them for my son, and now there are much more practical ones available with Velcro tabs instead of safety pins. Her suggestion that we in the U.S. should have fewer babies is also commendable. The excessive pollution from cars and trucks will only get worse as the population continues to increase, and this pollution affects large areas; our air pollution from Los Angeles is creating smog in the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I differ with her opinion that those who are pushing to stop or slow global warming at the highest levels are those who are making the most money on it. The richest industry in the world is the petroleum industry, and the richest company is Exxon Mobil. They profit when we believe that global warming is not harming the environment so that we will use more of the product (oil) and they pay "scientists" to confuse the public by printing contrary articles which are misleading. As far as her statement that politicians such as the President pollute the air more than other citizens by flying a lot, it is true that politicians fly a lot; it is part of their job to stay in touch with their constituents. But it is interesting that only when there is a Democrat flying, such as President Obama or Al Gore, that people on the conservative right, such as Ms. Van Leuven, take notice and criticize them for it. As far as the mistaken idea that some scientists had 20 or more years ago thought the earth was cooling, science has advanced a lot in the last 20 years. Scientists now have better ways to prove what is happening and to project what will happen. They now have proof that the earth is warming, that it is caused by human activity producing too many greenhouse gases and that it is damaging our world. It is true that the earth's climate has changed at times during the past billion years. But the extreme changes which are happening before our eyes - droughts, huge wildfires, heat waves, extreme storms, coastal erosion - are coming too quickly, and many species of plants and animals are going extinct right before our eyes. I commend Ms. Van Leuven for suggesting that we take some simple steps to protect the environment. We all need to do more to slow or stop human caused global warming. Anita Rivero Downey

********** Published: March 14, 2013 - Volume 11 - Issue 48