Connie Young - 2-26-2015 Don't be left in the dust.

Don’t be left in the dust

February 26, 2015 

I commend The Bee for its in-depth editorial about our perilous water situation Feb. 22. Yet to paraphrase Henry David Thoreau, it merely hacks away at the branches of the problem rather than strike at its root cause.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2014 was California’s hottest year on record. Until we address rising temperatures, which increase the risk and intensity of drought, we’ll continue to suffer the consequences of our misguided efforts.

To lower temperatures, we must reduce heat-trapping carbon emissions. The most effective and elegantly simple way to do this is with a national carbon fee and dividend with all revenue returned to U.S. households (like the oil dividends Alaska sends to its residents).

Our Congressmen Jim Costa, D-Fresno; Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, and David Valadao, R-Hanford, could support this conservative, market-based solution because, according to a Regional Economic Modeling Inc. study, it will boost the economy, create jobs, save lives and reduce carbon pollution. Businesses will like it because consumers will have more money to spend. Most important, San Joaquin Valley residents will be relieved that it will help clean our air, stabilize temperatures and protect our water supply.

Let’s confront the real problem now and not be left in the dust!

Connie Young
Citizens’ Climate Lobby Fresno

http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/02/26/4399000_dont-be-left-in-the-dust.html?rh=1
 

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Debra Westhaver-Church Jan 30 2015 - Some Republicans get it

Some Republicans get it

January 30, 2015 

Last week, the Senate voted 98-1 that climate change is a reality. I’d like to congratulate the 15 Republican senators, including Rand Paul of Kentucky, who voted “yes” that humans are contributing to the changing climate. But, the Senate ultimately stopped short of saying that humans are the cause of climate change.

There are at least three reasons why scientists think human activity is causing climate change:
Analysis of the specific type of CO2 (Carbon 12 and 13) in the atmosphere indicates that essentially all of the recent increase of CO2 is due to the burning of fossil fuels. CO2 traps heat; this has been known for over 150 years. According to NASA, “There is no question that increased levels of greenhouse gases must cause the earth to warm in response.” This higher concentration of CO2 is having its expected effect: We are now seeing record high temperatures on land and sea.
Republicans are usually proactive on the economy and our country’s defense. Now they need to become proactive about climate change, which has the potential to significantly harm our economy and endanger our national security.

Debra Westhaver-Church
Clovis

 http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/01/30/4356871_some-republicans-get-it.html?rh=1
 

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Steve Smith - 2-19-2015 - Imagine if there were no scientists

http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/02/19/4387538/imagine-if-there-were-no-scientists.html

Imagine if there were no scientists

February 19, 2015 

No doubt climate change deniers are upset about NASA’s scientific predictions that climate change will cause mega-droughts (The Bee, Feb. 13). So here’s a way to calm them and save money. Let’s stop teaching science in our schools!

After all, why prepare our children to be scientists if we’re going to ignore them when they grow up and warn us about scary things? Why encourage them to get advanced degrees in difficult subjects if we’re not going to take their advice?

We can avoid the whole problem by not teaching science in the first place. Think of the billions of dollars we could save by not paying for specially equipped classrooms, teacher salaries and science texts.

Of course we’ll need some scientists for medicine, agriculture and many other industries, but other countries could provide them. If they start warning us about things we don’t “believe in” we’ll simply replace them with others who are afraid to speak up. It works in countries with repressive governments, so it could work here.

Imagine! No scientists, no climate change, no problem!

Steve Smith

Madera

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/02/19/4387538/imagine-if-there-were-no-scientists.html#storylink=cpy

Michelle Selmon 2/23/2014 - FOX News inspires disgust

FOX News inspires disgust
2014-02-23
A friend showed me a clip of FOX News coverage of President Obama's mention of climate change during his visit to Fresno. I was disgusted by the misinformation that was conveyed by the commentators.

They claimed that science doesn't support anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change, when the opposite is true! Anyone with the ability to read the websites or publications of NASA or our National Academy of Sciences can see that for themselves.

The notion that climate change is a hoax being carried out by a small group of greedy scientists is as false as the idea that global warming was reframed as climate change by scientists or liberals for self-serving reasons. In reality, a Republican strategist promoted the change over a decade ago since he felt it was "less frightening" and would be more readily dismissed by the public.

Michelle Selmon
 Fresno

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=14C35C40B93DA7F0&p_docnum=1

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Loren Alving 2/3/2015 - Join forces on climate change

Join forces on climate change

February 3, 2015 

A recent New York Times poll, published in The Bee Jan. 31, found that two-thirds of Americans support candidates who want to stop global warming. This includes 48% of Republicans, although many of them believe that such efforts will hurt the economy.

Fortunately, we can have our cake and eat it, too. Prominent conservatives and progressives, Republicans and Democrats alike, support a free-market solution that not only decreases carbon emissions but grows the economy, builds jobs and does not raise taxes. The carbon-fee-and-dividend proposal raises the price of polluting (carbon emissions) but returns all the money collected back to households.

This is the defining issue of this century, and change is coming. I encourage Reps. Devin Nunes,
R-Tulare, and Jim Costa, D-Fresno, to be at the forefront of this tidal wave and work to implement a solution.

Loren Alving

Fresno

http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/02/03/4360635/join-forces-on-climate-change.html 

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/02/03/4360635/join-forces-on-climate-change.html#storylink=cpy