Sounds right to this scientist.
August 7, 2006
Mr. Mark York
10799 Sherman Grove Avenue, Spc 39
Sunland, California 91040
Dear Mr. York:
Thank you for writing me to share your concerns
about global warming. I appreciate hearing from you on
this important issue and welcome the opportunity to
respond.
I have seen the film "An Inconvenient Truth" and,
like you, I believe it was well-made and clearly lays out
the scientific facts behind global warming. There is
convincing evidence that global warming is occurring.
That is why I am deeply concerned about global warming
and strongly committed to fighting one of the greatest
threats to our environment.
In fact, the National Academy of Sciences has
found that the Earth's surface temperature rose about one
degree Fahrenheit during the 20th century. This warming
process has intensified in the past 20 years and has been
accompanied by a documented retreat of glaciers,
thinning of arctic ice, rising sea levels, and the increasing
likelihood of droughts and floods. Unabated global
warming would result in a number of potential
environmental problems including severe disruptions in
normal weather patterns, flooding in coastal
communities, changes in global agricultural production,
the spread of tropical diseases, and the extinction of
many species. California would be hard-hit by these
changes.
I strongly believe Congress should act to reduce
our greenhouse gas emissions in order to curb the
impacts of climate change. Please know that as a
member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources, I will do everything possible to support the
continued development of renewable sources of power
such as solar, wind, geothermal and biomass, in addition
to promoting the most efficient use of our finite
resources.
You may be interested to hear that I am currently
circulating my draft legislation "Strong Economy and
Climate Protection Act," which would establish a
mandatory cap-and-trade system that stops and then
reverses the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted
over time. At this time, I am carefully considering and
evaluating the feedback I have received on this draft
legislation.
On a related note, I recently finished reading a
very interesting book on the history of global warming
which might interest you. It is the The Weathermakers:
How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means
for Life on Earth by Tim Flannery. In it, Flannery
describes how the warming trend is firmly established
and the damage already done. I heartily recommend it.
Again, thank you for writing me.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
http://feinstein.senate.gov