Editor:

I agree with Douglas Nadler in his quest to protect our environment and to involve the young, since they will be the ones to manage the future of our planet. However, I take exception to his premise that "Humans are now changing our climate so rapidly that all of civilization is in the balance". That is an opinion, now widely believed of course through wide media promotion, but that does not make it the truth. Correlation (CO2 vs earth temperature) does not equal causality.

The Environment Minister of Ireland has referred to similar pronouncements as "insidious propaganda". There are plenty of dissenting papers regarding the influence of human activity on climate. The earth has gone through many wide climate changes over the past thousands of years, including many "ice ages", and will continue to change whatever humankind may do. There is a shade of arrogance in pronouncements that humans can influence the incredible forces of the universe to such extent. 

In this vein I quote from the title of an article in your 18 March edition "Green Energy Act based on sound principles of public administration"  by Robert Knox of Rob Roy defending the Act against charges that it is 'draconian, fascist and anti-democratic'. That title could be a line from Big Brother, straight out of '1984'. Should an Energy Act be based on physics and engineering principles - or 'sound principles of public administration'?.

I would exhort the youth of today to read and study widely, as Nadler suggests, especially in the sciences, but to be wary of sweeping bureaucratic pronouncements by those elected to lead. They may lead you down the wrong path.

Read 'Physics for future presidents' by Richard Muller. See the new film 'Not evil just wrong: the true cost of global warming hysteria' by McAleer and McElhinney. They may give you something to think about.

I would also encourage youth to travel widely (carbon footprint be dammed) so they can experience for themselves the impact of other cultures on the environment. By visits to far away places they will be able to see, smell, and even taste  (in the air), the influence of burgeoning humanity on the natural environment, and the pollution of air and water, and destruction of habitats for flora and fauna - or not - as alternate destinations will demonstrate. See for yourself.

Many believe that the real environmental problem is the over population of this planet. And that is a much greater challenge for those who are the youth of today. By study and travel they will be better prepared to tackle it.

Tony Sharp

Meaford