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Tim Brauhn of Denver writes:

We are running out of time. As rational, concerned citizens, but also as rational, concerned *humans*, we can no longer afford to ignore pressing scientific evidence detailing the effects that we are having on our planet.
Forget facts and figures, forget what you hear on the radio, and simply look at your world. The last two decades have seen the 15 hottest years on record. Weather patterns around the globe are changing, and the increasing frequency and strength of weather disasters are clear indications of just how deadly things can get.
It’s simple, really: the earth heats up, snow melts, and ocean levels rise.
Here on the Front Range, we can expect to see our snow pack decrease visibly every year. Aside from the obvious effects that less snow would have on our multi-million dollar ski industry, reduced snow pack means reduced water supplies, further straining our already-struggling agricultural sector.
We can still turn this sinking ship around and save our world. U.S.
Congresswoman Diane DeGette is sponsoring the Safe Climate Act, and our elected officials would do well to follow her lead. This legislation is based on science, and would set up enforcement to cut our current pollution output to an 80% reduction of 1990 levels. Governor Ritter needs to make sure that Colorado leads the United States in tackling our deadly pollution problem. But we must act now, for ourselves and for our own troubled blue and green orb.
I hope and pray that it’s not too late.

This letter has not been edited.

READER COMMENTS

Tim, you must have a direct line to The Big Guy, because your prayers have been answered even before uttered. According to prominent climate researcher Dr. James Hansen, much fewer than your 15 of the past 20 years have been hottest on record. In fact, only four of the past 20 years have been record breakers (1990, 1998, 1999, and 2006). Prior to that, it was those Greatest Generation environmental monsters (1921, 1931, 1934, 1938, 1939, and 1953) causing all the damage. To help you sleep better, know that with the exception of 2006, this decade has been cooler than the 1990s. If this trend continues, we'll all be frozen in our tracks by 2040!

Oh, brother! Tim is as bad as any religious zealot.

Apparently, Neal5x5 thinks that James Hansen is the Big Guy. The truth is, there are all variety of claims about the hottest years, such as:

"The 10 hottest years on record have all occurred since 1990."

"http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/12/2005_one_of_the.html

Deciding who to believe seems to be more of a political than a scientific decision.

Truth,

Just how many years are "on record"? The last I heard is was 1950 or just over 50 years.

Sorry Trutyh, but you're a mere two years too late. Dr. James Hansen is the heads NASAs Goddard Institute, which manages the U.S. Historical Climatology Network. The Web site Truth mentions uses data from the Goddard Institute that was corrected recently to account for mathematical inaccuracies, resulting in the years I stated. The changes don't aid the global warming movement so few organizations have bothered to update their data. Its less a matter of politics than mathematics, and less and less of the global warming hysteria adds up.

It is not the U.S. who is the worst contributer of global warming.

How are you going to get China,India and other countries who far surpass the pollution standards of the U.S.

I guess that is Bush's fault to.

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