Out of the Mailbox

Issue Date: 2010-01-22

Editor’s Note: Letters to the Editor do not appear in preferential order but rather in the order in which they are received.. Thank you!

Dear Editor,

Mr. Sara has had more of his catastrophic global climate change view published in The Islands Independent of January 8 under ‘Losers or Winners’.

The Copenhagen Climate Conference total failure, that Mr Sara is so happy about, means that without sudden massive public pressure today’s globally suicidal rate of global carbon emissions will not even be slowed for another decade.
By not mentioning the obvious winners, Mr. Sara lets the only real winners get away with murder. In this case, it is the mass murder of most of the human population this century. The Copenhagen failure is bound to mean the worst, and set to be the final, crime against humanity.
Top world climate change expert, Professor Kevin Anderson of the UK Tyndall Climate Centre, said before the Copenhagen Climate Conference that  global carbon emissions now have the world on track for a 4ºC global average temperature increase as early as 2060, which he said only about 10% of the world's human population could survive. The truth — the painful truth, I know — is that Professor
Anderson is right.
I also know that Mr. Sara is saying in general what the majority of the public conveniently choose to believe by their silence, when we all should be fighting with all we have for our survival.
The winners of the Copenhagen Climate Conference are the global fossil fuel corporations and big banks(ters) who make mega profits from keeping us all dependent on fossil fuels for energy — and who engineered the Copenhagen failure.
The winners are the psychopathic climate change deniers who by winning are, in all likelihood, dealing a final fatal blow to any hope of cutting global carbon emissions in time to prevent the failure of agriculture in all regions of the world. Computer projection models say this will happen before a 4ºC global average temperature rise and by 2050.
We enjoy the freedom of the right to free speech and so Mr. Sara is at liberty to keep deceiving the public by implying that the climate will still be fine in "twenty, thirty or a hundred years," even if nations continue to do nothing about greenhouse emissions by swallowing the deadly dangerous climate change denier propaganda poison and ignoring the "unequivocal" scientific proof of global warming and climate change (IPCC, 2007).
Mr. Sara and his climate change denier leaders are dead wrong and their continued public influence will mean literally the end of the world. Sadly, the public is tolerant of being deceived so terribly.
Physics is the law of the universe and physics determines that the constant emission of carbon dioxide and other long lasting greenhouse gases, due to their atomic structure as long-lasting heat radiating gases, have to increase the global temperature and disrupt the climate, and are doing so.
Carbon dioxide, in addition, is rapidly acidifying the ocean, an undeniable simple fact that the deniers choose to ignore.
The International Energy Agency's 2009 World Energy Outlook said that continuing with today’s business as usual carbon-emitting fossil fuel economic growth would lead to an increase of carbon emissions from today’s 29 billion tons per year to 40 billion tons a year by 2030.
Mr. Sara thinks the laws of physics do not apply to additional emissions of greenhouse gases nor to his beliefs. Mr. Sara is saying that every national science academy in the word is wrong about the catastrophic dangers of unmitigated global greenhouse gas pollution. He is saying the largest organization of scientists in the world — the American Academy for the Advancement of Science — was wrong when in 2007 its position statement said, " Scientific predictions of the impacts of increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels and deforestation match observed changes. As expected, intensification of droughts, heat waves, floods, wildfires, and severe storms is occurring, with a mounting toll on  vulnerable ecosystems and societies. These events are early warning signs of even more devastating damage to come."
The 2007 assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the deniers say, is wrong. The IPCC assessment was approved line by line  before publication by all the world's governments who, according to the climate change deniers, are all wrong about climate change.

Peter Carter, Pender Island

Dear Editor:
RELAX – THE SKY IS NOT FALLING
Peter Sara (A VIEWPOINT – January 8th 2010) is completely correct – we are, indeed, fortunate that the Copenhagen farce ended in failure.
When I was growing up in the north of England in the late fifties and early sixties, pollution (mostly from coal) was so bad “pea-soupers” (pollution mixed with fog) were common, and a hand held up in front of one’s face often could not be seen. In addition, catalytic converters were unknown, which  also added to the poison in the atmosphere.
As is the way of society, this was eventually dealt with, beginning with the passing of the Clean Air Act. The atmosphere improved markedly very  quickly, along with parallel benefits to the health of the population, particularly for older people. Like everyone else, I want a sustainable, healthy environment. Like many people, our family recycles, avoids chemical additives in our food and garden wherever possible, and welcomes efforts (where  reasonable) by individuals and governments. In the mid-19th century, a book was published called “Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds”, which I believe is still available on the internet. I believe the concept that catastrophe from man-made global warming is going to turn out to be the biggest popular delusion of them all, and there will be a lot of sheepish expressions down the road.
Of course mankind’s activities have an impact on the environment. Of course we need to do more to reduce to reduce the impact. Without a doubt there are critical issues that need to be addressed, preferably in a collective manner.

But when I read statements about the “climate change suicide pact that was the outcome at Copenhagen”, or that “Global climate catastrophe is literally the end of our world”, the need for a “world revolution………….to liberate our world from the stranglehold of the international banks………our future  will be lost” I have to honestly think the writer, and others, need to mosey on down to the Walmart - and get a grip!

Beware the megaphone-waving prophets, the fanatics who predict the end is close unless we act right now, unless we jolly well better listen up or we are doomed! crowd. If we let them, these pied pipers will bring about a massivelytaxed society where every single thing we do, all the simple pleasures outdoors – such as burning yard waste – will be forbidden, and we will be regulated in such a way that our free society will be just a memory. It can happen gradually, bit by little bit.
Finally, many of you will have seen on the news that black, futuristic-looking Green Peace boat cut in half by the Japanese whaling ship. It looked like something from a science-fiction movie! I am not a boat expert, but that machine sure looked like it must have cost at least a million dollars or two. And the fuel to move that thing would have powered Al Gore’s compound for at least three months!
Remember – beware the fanatics. Don’t be led, chanting their mantras, to a frightening, and unnecessary Orwellian future.

Doug Appleton

Hello Laurie:
You may be interested in the attached photos that were taken by Hans Tammemagi when we walked up your lane on Christmas Bird Count Day, December 19th. Thanks for your permission. The horses were an unexpected bonus and we had great fun with them. Feel free to use a picture for the paper. If you do wish to add the following:
The 46th annual Pender Christmas bird count was held on December 19th with about 50 Penderites participating. While checking Laurie Kay's lane, the survey party received additional help from the resident horses who helped to point out dark-eyed juncos and golden-crowned sparrows although they had difficulty holding binoculars. Seventy species were recorded for North and South Pender Island.

Gerry McKeating

Dear Readers:
For the information of Penderites, the Lions Clubs International Foundation, also known as L.C.I.F., has once again been in the forefront of responders to the earthquake disaster in Haiti, just as they were for the tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka and Thailand, and locally to the forest fire in Barriere, BC
L.C.J.F. are able to distribute immediately needed funds to Lions clubs already “on the ground” in affected areas and they do this without hesitation, relying on the knowledge of local Lions clubs as to what is needed to deal with disasters in their communities.
The Pender Islands Lions Club supports L.C.I.F. with an annual grant from funds raised on Pender Island. Thus, your donations have an international outreach Impact in addition to a local regional impact. Thus, through us “you serve”. Thank you for your continuing support.
(L.C.I.F. is also helping to fund a “clean water” project sponsored by the Lions Club in the Arusha, Tanzania area of Africa. The list goes on.)

Mark Slater