Letter: Climate change is not a political issue

The climate is unstable. The atmosphere is heating up, sea levels are rising, island nations are already disappearing under the sea, and much of Florida will be underwater by 2050. So say the climate scientists.

They are countered by those who say such claims are a hoax (a Chinese hoax, according to the president); or that those who make them only want more money for their research; or that being based on computer models, the claims cannot possibly be true.

The scientists insist that increased burning of fossil fuels results in enormous amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, heating it up and disrupting weather systems around the world, among other things causing the seas in just a few decades to rise enough to flood significant areas along the coasts of all continents.

Climate change is real. Arctic sea ice is currently in precipitous decline in area, extent, and volume, and may cease to exist in summer sometime during the 21st century. The great ice sheet of West Antarctica has destabilized: if it breaks off into the ocean the sea level will rise more than ten feet.

It's a pity that climate change has become a political issue, a cause of bitter debate between Republicans and Democrats. Well, actually, there isn't much debate. The Republicans make confident assertions, while the Democrats are more or less silent.

Hal Dendurent

Mount Vernon