Don’t base arguments on fossil fuels on emotional rants

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Kendall Karan, in a letter to The Gleaner, wrote “Fossil fuels are the future”. I had to read it twice to try to grasp the arguments. Although some of what Karan says is true, there were many flawed points. No-one has ever suggested that fossil fuels aren’t beneficial and should be eliminated entirely. Indeed, those who travel to conferences on climate change, etc, do so ironically via fossil fuel-powered jets. The ideas have always been to reduce the overdependence on fossil fuels and balance with other renewable sources. More than 80 per cent of energy is currently sourced from high carbon fossil fuels (e.g. coal, oil, natural gas), and carbon emission is mainly from burning these fuels which harm the environment and produce excess carbon dioxide and toxins. The more practical solution is having an improved balance of energy sources to reduce overdependence on fossils, which remain our main source of energy.

I have also never heard anyone say that global warming is necessarily a bad thing. Climate activists have argued that we must find ways to manage global warming because of the dramatic shifts in weather and climate patterns, which can be catastrophic and unpredictable. We can be at a tremendous advantage if we learn to monitor and understand what is happening with the climate, instead of simply accepting it as is, as the writer suggests. According to Karan, “ We need energy to survive, global warming is essential for mankind’s survival on earth. We must adapt to climate change, not try to fix it.” The writer went on to argue that carbon emissions are an “effect of global warming not a cause of it”. He did not provide any scientific evidence to substantiate this point, or suggest other possible causes of climate change.

I agree we must adapt to climate change, but we can learn about it in the process. I don’t believe any one factor can ‘fix it’ or reverse it, nor do I believe this is the intent of activists. If carbon emissions are an effect of global warming, as Karan suggests, let us see the scientific evidence to prove that. There is countless evidence put forward by experts in the field about the root causes of carbon emissions. Emissions from livestock raised for consumption in our diets is another source of emissions, and there is quantifiable evidence to prove this.

We must learn to reason based on facts and scientific evidence presented by experts who study and research atmospheric and climatic science. How can we conclude that this is our future? We rely on doctors and specialists when we get ill, yet some are sceptical about scientists when they use their expertise to advise on other subjects. There were sceptics who did not believe that COVID-19 was real, despite the fact that millions got very ill, and over six million deaths were recorded globally. We must learn to argue rationally based on information, facts and scientific evidence presented to us by experts, and use our skills in critical thinking to form our own conclusions. We cannot argue about serious issues, based on emotional rants, and expect to be taken seriously.

P CHIN

chin_p@yahoo.com