Common sense vs. political hysteria on climate change

As tired as most of us are of hearing the argument over global climate change, Mike Kantor's Oct. 16 letter on the subject demands an answer. First off, Mr. Kantor neglected to include the standard denial, "I am not a scientist, but ..."

I am not a scientist either, but I am, at least, reasonably observant.

As a former pilot and frequent flier, the effects of man-made pollution are undeniable. Look out the window of your aircraft as you approach nearly any city and note the haze. Absent, or at least unnoticeable over non-urban areas.

Where do you suppose this smog came from? (Hint: Have you ever been stuck behind an older bus or diesel truck in traffic?)

It doesn't take a huge leap of logic to recognize that this miasma is generated by human activity. Since I also "am not a scientist," I cannot prove that this man-made pollution is responsible for our climate change, but common sense tells me that we sure aren't helping it.

Our climate is changing, as borne out by core samples of earth and ice, as well as modern records. We may not be able to halt or reverse that change, but it is obvious that we can, and are, assisting it.

As for weather prediction, it certainly is not 100 percent accurate on a day-to-day or even year-to-year basis. However, when viewed on a scale of decades or longer, those forecasts have proven amazingly accurate. When considering that over 97 percent (of those who are scientists), agree that man is responsible for at least altering our climate, I tend to take their opinions seriously.

No matter if you agree or disagree with the proposal that humans are causing climate change, I can see no evidence that we are not, at the very least, contributing to it.

Stan Anderson

Bradenton

This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Common sense vs. political hysteria on climate change ."