By Stephen Wyard
Dear Editor,
I was sad to read the article by John Streather in the recent edition of The Pearl Times and feel obliged to submit a response. (You can read A Bold View of how Global Warming Can Benefit Humans’ by John Streather HERE).
Whilst the theories in the article are cogently presented they represent the opinions of a tiny minority, whereas the vast majority of scientists who work and publish in this field are firmly united behind the view that global heating is a real and present danger and is caused in main by human activity, principally the emission of greenhouse gasses. NASA recently stated on its website that 97% of scientists support this view.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the leading international authority on this subject, is clear in its published statements that global heating is a fact, its effects are massively harmful to life on earth and is caused principally by human activity.
The latest IPCC report was published in 2023, and states that the window of opportunity to tackle the causes of global heating and mitigate its worst effects is very small, and emergency action on a global scale is urgently required.
Dr Richard Lindzen, who is cited in the article, is a well-known climate denier who has received significant funding from ExxonMobil, Peabody Coal and other fossil fuel companies who clearly have strong vested interests.
Everyone is free to believe whatever theories they find attractive or convincing, but I would suggest that with a subject of this overwhelming importance it would be wise to follow the evidence of 97% of scientists rather than the 3% who disagree.
Stephen Wyard is an architect, a peaceful environmental activist currently living in Uganda and a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
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