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Canada should take climate action

Hopefully the U.S. government will take action to reduce their carbon footprint and therefore force Canada to do likewise

Re: Climate conundrum, PNR Friday, Nov. 15.

I would agree with the writer that there are two different schools of thought regarding climate change: that of the scientific community and that of people’s perceptions which, unfortunately, includes some of our politicians.

However, it seems the writer is confused with what science is reporting and the misinformation of those who deny there is an anthropogenic factor to climate change and that the Earth’s climate is changing because of high levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

To state that there has been no global warming for 15 years is factually incorrect. Many different (scientific) reports show, overall, 2005 was hotter than 1998 and the hottest 12-month period ever recorded was from June 2009 to May 2010. This from just one report: the 2009 State of the Climate report of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, brings together many different series of data.

The conclusion? All of these independent lines of evidence tell us unequivocally the Earth is warming. Perhaps, the writer should be paying more attention to peer reviewed evidence as presented by the serious climate scientists for a better understanding of climate change. And, hopefully, with President Obama’s support, the U.S. government will take action to reduce their carbon footprint and therefore force Canada to do likewise.

T.V. Gogol

North Saanich