I have received a copy of the editorial (OGJ, Aug. 27, 2001, p. 19) entitled "No consensus on climate." I thought the article was excellent, but I suggest that the consensus may actually be against the global warming hypothesis and the implementation of the Kyoto Treaty. I say this because 17,000 American scientists signed a very strong petition which states: "We urge the US Government to reject the global warming agreement that was written in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997, and any other similar proposals. The proposed limits on green house gases would harm the environment, hinder the advance of science and technology, and damage the health and welfare of mankind."
There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other green house gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the earth's atmosphere and disruption of the earth's climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the earth.
This petition, the supporting review article, and a letter from Frederick Seitz, former president of the National Academy of Science, can be found at www.oism.org/pproject, along with a list of all of the signatories to the petition.
I think a very strong case needs to be made against this treaty. We have sent a bound copy of the signatories to the president, vice-president, and other administration officials. Clearly, some of them are disinclined to review this side of the story and have some commitment to pushing these green house gas emissions. Thus, there is certainly an uphill struggle ahead.
Jane M. Orient, M.D.
President
Doctors for Disaster Preparedness
Tucson, Ariz.
