LETTERS

Re “Fido, a.k.a. the climate criminal,” Opinion, Oct. 27

I can only imagine the pep talk Jonah Goldberg would give a soccer team if he were their coach: “Sorry kids, this other team is really good, so there’s no use in learning to pass or dribble, as we’re not going to beat them. Instead, let’s just prepare for how we’ll handle defeat.”

I refuse to accept Goldberg’s belief that it’s too difficult to move from a carbon-based economy so why bother trying.

We are a country that does great things. We have stopped tyranny and evil. We sent men to the moon. Our scientists have cured diseases and invented the silicon chip and cellphones.

Don’t tell me we can’t harness this same American ingenuity and spirit to transition to a clean-energy future.

I find the message of “yes we can” much more in line with our national character than “no, we can’t.”

Cathy Schechter

Glendale

::

Goldberg’s Op-Ed article was disturbing.

Granted, there have been some irrational points made by ill-informed activists, but unless I misunderstand, he proposes that the changing climate is all a farce.

And to support his position, he uses Pew Research polls of what the average American perceives to be happening instead of any scientific research.

Climatologists and scientists worldwide overwhelmingly agree that the current level of CO2 in the atmosphere is higher than the level that life on this planet is capable of thriving in.

Polls stating what people perceive, be they right or wrong, will not change what will occur in something as immense as climate change.

If the human race gets this wrong, it is the end of the current era of life on Earth.

There have been numerous mass extinctions in the planet’s history, the majority driven by abrupt changes in the climate. No research poll will change what is on the horizon if the CO2 level is not reduced.

Russell Smith

Northridge

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Goldberg’s article is typical of others who, when presented with a difficult problem, pick out a ridiculous solution (the dog), or say it’s too hard (“Throw in a bad economy, and Americans simply balk”) or state that future technology will solve our problem (“Is the atmosphere getting too hot? Cool it down.”)

Climate change and ocean acidification are problems that cannot be ignored, minimized or passed off to future generations.

Scientists don’t know what will happen if CO2 continues to increase. We do know, based on more than 4 billion years of Earth history, that when there are high levels of CO2, bad things happen, and the damage takes millions of years to heal.

Now is the time to lead, innovate and, yes, sacrifice to give future generations a chance to fix the damage.

Vincent Kinsch

Ventura

::

Let’s see ... Goldberg complains of Al Gore’s “near-relentless fear-mongering” and then tells us that “America will sacrifice its sovereignty” and “you just might get to keep your dog” (OK, he thinks this is funny).

He then dismisses his naysayers with sound arguments such as “fantasy land,” “farce” and, my favorite, “just silly.”

I read authors who are not writing what I already believe, in order to honestly see both sides of issues. But once again, Goldberg has wasted my time and your space in the paper.

Robert Tymczyszyn

Lake Arrowhead