Don't overreact to environmental projections

ISSUE | CLIMATE CHANGE

Don't overreact

In the letter "Keep fossil fuels in the ground" (Sept. 24), Katie Plowright, who represents an environmental group, cites "a new study" that calculates the effects of burning all fossil-fuel reserves. She paints a cataclysmic picture of a 200-foot rise in sea level. In fact, the study's author predicts that "there is not much melting beyond what has already been predicted in this century" and the bulk of the additional sea rise from burning all reserves will come a thousand years from now. The study never considers how or why all that extra "burning" would occur or whether innovation or economics could keep that from ever happening.

What happens when lawmakers are energized by such misreadings? The so-called "80 by 50" policy seeks to have the United States cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent by 2050. This could only be done by lowering our standard of living below that of North Korea, according to Robert Bryce of the Manhattan Institute. Who would propose such madness? The "80 by 50" standard was narrowly defeated last month in California despite the support of Gov. Jerry Brown and its two U.S. senators. Every Democrat running for president except for Jim Webb supports "80 by 50."

Innovation will solve our energy problems, not misinformation, regulation, or the resulting privation.

Steve Brown, Broomall, steve@designbuildllc.com