Letter: Debate over global warming should be over

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 | 6:57 a.m.

Science is the search for truth, and is truth found out, whatever that truth may be. Ignorance or political fanaticism has caused some to refuse to accept scientific truth about global warming. Repeatable scientific research is the cornerstone of all science; confirmable research and data on global warming , however, are no longer in question.

Scientists have proven that the 12 hottest years in the recorded history of our planet have occurred since 1990. The most compelling evidence of global warming comes from the melting of global ice. Ten thousand cubic miles of ice exist in Alaska alone; striking visual evidence of significant melting, thinning and rapid retreat can be seen in Glacier Bay and on the Muir Glacier; rapid melting is more evident at these sites than elsewhere in the world .

It is an indisputable fact that 98 percent of all the world's mountain glaciers are now retreating. It's predicted that by 2030 glacier ice in Glacier National Park will all but have disappeared. This is due to more than the result of cyclic global changes and can be correlated to prolonged world temperature increases.

Climatic change is verifiable scientific knowledge and these changes will continue to influence us for millennia. Slowing, reversing or halting global warming will not be easy. There will be a price to be paid whether we choose to ignore the problem or begin doing something about it now.

Humans are as vulnerable to extinction from global warming events as any other species on this planet. Lest we forget, extinction is forever .

Virgil A. Sestini, Las Vegas