Letter to the Editor: Climate apologists must be challenged
The editorial policy with regard to the climate crisis has in general been well aligned with the scientific consensus, and indeed recognises the need for dramatic action to curb the worst impacts of climate change and the current ecological collapse.
How disappointing then to read the scare mongering opinion piece by David Nabhan (November 19) in which he foretells a global apocalypse if the ban on fracking proceeds.
There is no debate anymore on the fact that human activity is a major contributing factor to the climate crisis. Human activity, particularly in the last 40 years, has accelerated the increased concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere to such an extent that natural cycles cannot mitigate it.
Also natural ecosystems cannot adapt quickly enough to the increased changes in global weather systems leading to the collapse of ecosystems.
So an apocalypse is on the horizon unless we urgently veer away from fossil fuels, embracing additional sources is not an option.
Rather than creating avenues for the increased use of fossil fuels in the generation of necessities like fertilisers, we need to accelerate the development of alternative technologies for this purpose.
This is an emergency and apologists for the fossil fuel industry need to be challenged at every turn with the overwhelming scientific evidence which states that we need to rapidly decarbonise the atmosphere.
