OPINION:
The Times is to be commended for highlighting the recent scientific proof that global coastlines are generally expanding despite dire warnings of sea-level rise caused by “climate change” (“Drowning in false alarmism,” Web. Dec. 6).
Unfortunately, this recent evidence is unlikely to convince anyone who believes today’s 415 parts-per-million of atmospheric carbon dioxide signifies an imminent climate catastrophe with inundated islands, drowning polar bears and an incinerated planet.
They might be able to relax if they knew that life flourished 570 million years ago with carbon dioxide levels near 6,000 ppm. They also might become aware of how our climate is influenced by the “Milankovitch Cycle,” which describies how the gravitational attraction of the other planets affects Earth’s orbit and its axial tilt in relation to the sun. These natural phenomena are quite unaffected by the amount of “greenhouse” gases in our atmosphere.
If we were somehow able to cut the present level of carbon dioxide in half, as some might wish, it would jeopardize the photosynthesis process in green plants, upon which all animal life depends. And that would be of far greater concern than getting your feet wet in Tuvalu.
ROGER JOHNSON
Kensington, Md.
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