Gerry Kirkham's letter is filled with personal bias and beliefs [‘Emergency’ is paranoia,’ March 15].
He starts out suggesting [City of Powell River] councillor CaroleAnn Leishman is emotional and lacking in reason. He makes the claim that there are two schools of thought relative to climate change. The word “school” suggests “education,” so on that basis, I disagree with his statement. There is the widely held, educated view that climate change is real, and there is the “head in the sand” mentality that doesn't want to face facts. Connecting the two creates a false duality. They are not opposing equals.
He then proceeds to go against the widely held view that we think globally, and act locally. We cannot do anything about what is happening in the far reaches of the globe, but we can take responsibility for what we are doing personally, and as a community. And just when I am thinking this can't get any worse, he quotes Patrick Moore and promotes him as a former Greenpeace activist.
Mr. Kirkham then suggests that we "follow the money" to see who is funding research into climate science. I would suggest he do the same. If he did, he would know Moore is a paid spokesman for the nuclear industry.
Finally, carbon is the basic building block for the life forms on this planet. The problem is not the carbon itself, but the human activities that are moving the carbon from its usual places of sequestration, and releasing it into the atmosphere where it has a devastating effect on the planet's life systems.
Is the fact that we are destroying the planet, paranoia? I don't think so.In the future, as the climate starts to change even more dramatically, I hope all of you will not hold Mr. Kirkham's current attitudes against him.
Steve Short
Joyce Avenue
