Letter: Carbon Trading

Sam Boote
Monday 01 December 1997 00:02 GMT
Comments

Sir: Global warming is a fact, with plenty of climatic evidence to back it up in recent years. However, we should beware of rushing to put all the blame on human causes such as the burning of fossil fuels. The Earth has experienced warmer climates and higher levels of carbon dioxide in previous ages.

It is quite possible that general changes in temperature are caused by variations in the power output of the Sun, which are not yet sufficiently understood or accurately measured. Dr Maric's comparison with Venus (letter, 28 November) fails to mention that the dire condition of that planet is due to its receiving twice as much heat from the Sun as does the Earth.

While it is highly desirable that atmospheric quality should be improved by cutting man-made emissions, we should not assume that this would also lead to a reduction in the rate of global warming.

SAM BOOTE

Keyworth, Nottinghamshire

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