This letter is in response to Daniel Kelly’s urgent call to research. With special thanks to Daniel I was able to determine that his lynchpin claim is misleading at best. Daniel cites (without reference) Mike Morano, whose relevant education includes a degree in political science – not to be confused with climate science. It is Morano who is famous for the mistaken claim that NASA data supports a theory that the earth’s temperature has not risen over the past two decades. NASA itself, and a multiplicity of sources, dispute Morano’s interpretation of the data. NASA’s own website has a page on “scientific consensus” which states that 97% of peer reviewed studies by climate scientists support the theory that things are warming up, due mainly to human involvement. NASA is presumably a source Daniel recognizes for its authority, and while NASA does their own extensive research in earth science, they are referring here to research performed by thousands of other qualified scientists. We live in a time where it is possible to live in your own siloed “bubble”, and public opinion research demonstrates that the Internet has made people think they are smarter. Searching the Internet for “research” that confirms your bias does not make you a scientist, but if we leave the interpretation of climate science to those trained to interpret it we will be more likely to act in accordance to the truth. Does cap and trade adequately address the problem of global warming? Or does it allow the wealthiest companies the ability to make polluting a cost benefit financial equation? That could be a more intriguing question to research.
J. Cranston