Part of me would like to conclude, like Wayne Clark (“Letter: It’s arrogant to think humans can control the climate,” Oct. 2), that human activity is not causing the climate to change. I wouldn’t have to worry about my airplane travel, whether to eat meat or how fuel-efficient my car is. Mr. Clark pointed to past warming and cooling of the earth and concluded that human activity is not the driver of the current warming.
However, he neglected a large body of scientific evidence: that CO2 and other greenhouse gasses trap heat on Earth, that humans have added to the blanket of warming gasses since the Industrial Revolution, and that this warming is happening many times faster than any known past warming event.
Over 97% of climate scientists have concluded, based on the evidence, that human-caused climate change is happening. This is manifest by record warm temperatures, more intense wildfires and tropical storms, reduced mountain snowpack and record drought. These and other changes are damaging many of our communities and creating serious risks for the future.
I invite Mr. Clark to consider these documented findings, join the majority of people who recognize the reality of human-caused climate change and connect with those working on solutions.
Jim Wightman
Bountiful