Do not overreact to climate theories

The planet might be warming. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is probably increasing. Some or all of this might be caused by human activity. We just don't know enough yet.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, usually touted as a scientific body by the media, is a political body. Its leader, Rajendra Pachari, has degrees in industrial engineering and economics, not climatology. It has exaggerated, even lied, and has withheld the data it claims supports its conclusions. E-mails between scientists cast doubt on the validity of studies that are often cited.

We can't trust the media, scientists, politicians or the United Nations, and we should be cautious about how we react to all this. In the past, we have overreacted to other threats.

Environmentalists shut down construction of nuclear power plants for fear of radioactive contamination without realizing that coal-fired plants release far more radioactive pollutants because coal contains uranium and thorium. Now coal plants spew tons of pollutants nuclear plants would not.

We stopped DDT in its tracks until we realized using it inside homes in

Africa prevents millions of deaths from malaria.

We decided ethanol would free us from dependence on oil and all it did was increase food costs.

The administration and EPA seem poised to enact draconian rules that will be costly and harmful to our economy. They are trying to solve a problem before we know what the problem is, and without careful consideration of the consequences of their actions.

Pete Welch

Hilton Head Island