Letters to the Editor
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Lyle A. Austin. A climatic norm?
Well there isn't really any such thing as a historical climatic norm. The earth is dynamic, not static. There is no such thing as a state of balance. The climate and composition of the atmosphere have changed throughout the life of the planet.
It is always good to be sceptical, but we should be informed as well. The global warming sceptics should remember that Earth's atmoshpere was likely oxegenated by the respiration of microbes, thus allowing for the development and spread of multi-celled organisms such as ourselves. If the gaseous releases of these tiny creatures could essentially facilitate the terraforming of the earth, then why is it hard to understand that the persistent release of large amounts of another gas (CO2) could further change the earth. CP should read about the acidification of the oceans as well, this is fairly easily demonstable, is the direct result of carbon emissions, and it is likely that it cannot now be stopped. So, bye, bye coral and other sea creatures with calcium based shells.
It is important to remember the big picture, though: There will always be life on Earth...until there is not. And I don't know what that means....