WCR Letters to the Editor

Green thinking revisited

Apparently to be righteous these days you have to be signed up as a believer in the dogmas of the environmental movement. For clarity on climate change, let me counter three "common knowledge" premises regarding the issue of carbon dioxide and global warming.

1. "The warming of the last century is unprecedented." The earth's climate history for the last 0.5 million years is a cycle of 90,000 years of continental ice sheet advance and retreat with 10,000-year interglacial periods between.

   We have been in an interglacial for about 11,000 years now. Evidence shows that not only is this not the warmest interglacial of the last four but it has been up to 2 C warmer previously in this interglacial.

2. "Global warming is caused by increases in carbon dioxide." Why is it then that the earth cooled between the early '30s and late '60s of the last century while the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere steadily increased.

   Plotting a graph of solar irradiance and mean annual global temperature shows an uncanny correlation between these two parameters much stronger than the correlation between CO2 and mean annual global temperature.

3. "The net effect of global warming is bad." Provided global warming is accompanied by increases in CO2 this isn't true at all for plants. A doubling of CO2 content in the atmosphere would result in increases of 10 to 20 per cent in plant productivity, plus an increased resistance to drought (less water lost through transpiration). Plus, given earth's long-term climate history, people in northern latitudes need the earth to permanently warm up to the extent the cycle of ice ages is broken.

However, given political cause and effect in this country, it's probably exactly what we'll do.

Brian Klappstein
Grande Cache

Target the province on abortion funding

As a federal minister, MacLellan has no jurisdiction with respect to insuring or de-insuring. That matter falls within the venue of the provincial government. The proper people to contact would be Premier Ralph Klein; Health and Wellness Minister Gary Mar, and your own MLA.

Sending letters is a good start, but the present government is notorious for ignoring its constituents. I recommend a little strategy. The strategy involves getting all Catholic groups working on this together (K of C, CWL, Catholic hospitals and schools, parish pastoral councils, MLAs and candidates for the next election that are Catholic, MLAs and candidates that are not of the Conservative party, etc.). The effort should occur during the next provincial election campaign.

It is important to note which party would be most likely to succeed the current government after the next election or at least form the greatest opposition. At this point, it appears the Liberal party fits that description. Whether you vote Liberal or not, the strategy will fail unless you use the name of the Liberal party in your letter. Letters should be addressed to the premier, the minister of health and wellness, and only Conservative MLAs.

The letter should be straightforward and blunt. It should say that you want therapeutic abortions de-listed prior to the next election. Say in the letter that if the Conservative government accomplishes this before the election, they will have your vote. Also say that if they do not accomplish this before the next election, you will vote Liberal.

It doesn't matter what position the Liberal party holds: the point is to coerce the Conservative government to act, or to fear the possibility of major losses to a single, large, powerful party; a party that could succeed then or at least result in a minority government.

C. McDonald
Edmonton

Honour our good Catholic priests

I believe that there are many praiseworthy priests out there, who, unobtrusively, do their priestly duties with love, honour and dedication. And everywhere around the world, there are (and there has always been) priests who give up comfort and courageously risk their lives to serve others, especially the poor and the suffering - for the glory of God's kingdom here on earth.

We always have to remember priests, by the virtue of their priesthood, daily bring Christ to us in the Eucharist, a precious wonderful gift we always have to be grateful for.

The crisis we're having in the Catholic Church right now is disheartening to all of us, more so for sacerdotal priesthood. More than ever, our priests need our support, love, care and prayers.

Sister Briege McKenna and the late Catherine Doherty have written wonderful books (Miracles Do Happen, Dear Father, respectively), paying tributes to priests and priesthood. Read them: they will inspire you.

Celia de Castro
Edmonton

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