In today’s Chicago Sun-Times, I was frustrated to see boilerplate global-warming denialism given a half-page in the “Easy” section, whatever that means. I’ve recently started purchasing newspapers again, and I enjoy it, but part of the reason I stopped was their penchant for giving equal time to uninformed bullshit.
My letter to the editor:
I don’t see any scientific credentials for Betsy Hart, but I’m inclined to trust the “global warming alarmists” of the National Academy of Sciences, who called in a joint statement for the government to “seize all opportunities” to address global climate change that “is happening even faster than previously estimated.”
The seasons may vary, but the trend is clear: Greenhouse gas emissions have increased dramatically, thanks to the burning of fossil fuels. These gases cause warming. And, as NASA data has shown, the “past decade was the warmest on record.”
Why has Hart been given her platform–a clear opinion piece that appears in the middle of a news section? Is it called the Easy section because it’s easy to avoid journalistic standards within?
I would enjoy seeing a real scientist respond to her piece point-by-point, but that would give it more attention than it deserves.