"The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it." - Neil deGrasse Tyson.
The last 35 years were the hottest in 400 years. The arctic is rapidly losing its ice shelf. The ice shelf serves as a reflector to the sun's ultra-violet rays. Without the ice reflecting the sun's warmth, our planet will absorb the sun's heat and temperatures will continue to rise.
Our ice shelves are melting due to what is known as the "greenhouse effect." The "greenhouse effect" is a warming that occurs from increases in certain gases, such as carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere. This was first discovered by Joseph Fourier about 200 years ago, and it was proven and verified over 100 years ago by Svante Arrhenius. Arrhenius performed calculations to prove how much incoming radiation was absorbed by CO2 and water vapor to heat the atmosphere.
Whether or not some people believe it, we need to decrease CO2 emissions to save our planet. The most significant man-caused source of CO2 gases is coal-fired electrical generation. Let’s move to other energy sources, such as nuclear, solar and wind to address our needs. The time to act is now.
Sandy Lusk
TNDP, State Executive Committeewoman District 11