Thanks for your interesting note on climate change.
We conservative Republicans too understand that science is vital to helping us in certain areas of life.
Not one of us would care to have our cities swamped with rising oceans or lands turned into deserts.
However, we take a much more cautious approach than you do.
We also know the left has predicted very poorly other drastic things they claimed were on their way in the past: heterosexual AIDS, silicone breast implants, overpopulation of the earth, DDT, Alar on apples, 35 million starving Americans and secondhand smoke, etc.
We understand climate is an extraordinarily complex topic with dozens of parameters potentially affecting it. We understand there are thousands of scientists around the world who study these various parameters and are highly skeptical about making any strong predictions of climate 100 years from now. We understand by studying history that science is often pure science and is often affected by psychology and politics. We also understand that even if Mr. Gore did incredibly radical things like completely altering our use of energy and thereby dramatically crushing economies all over the world, it is highly unlikely that this would have much effect on the issue, particularly if America were the only one to sign up for such a radical action.
Before you vote for more leftists to order us with 5,000 pages of new laws to radically change our economy and stop using fossil fuels and thereby stop enjoying our laptops and cars and air conditioners and medicines and homes and clothing and airplane travel, maybe read some scientists not aligned with and perhaps not greatly biased by the Democratic left.
Your concerns may be right, but be very careful before you root for a heart transplant on a guy with chest pain when all he needs is some aspirin — or maybe just some reassurance that all will be well.
[A version of this letter to the editor ran on page 7 on 2/4/2014 under the headline "Monday column about climate change"]
