Editor,

David Powell is at it again insisting we ignore science and even our own senses. He says CO2 cools the planet. Where is he getting this stuff? French chemist Joseph Fourier determined the Earth was 5 degrees warmer because of atmospheric CO2 in 1824!

Should we also ignore every independent scientific organization, not funded by the industry, and the 2013 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s assessment that Global Warming is human driven as “almost absolutely, extremely likely?” That is a 97 percent certainty level. Would you gamble anything at those odds?

His vague references and cherry picked data come directly from denialist sites oft promoted by Fox — we only pretend to be — News. These are old tactics. Tobacco companies claimed smoking was healthy and even paid doctors to promote it in ads.

It’s a fascinating story. Mr. Powell could learn how moneyed interests manipulated the system for our loss and their advantage by reading Merchants of Doubt — also a film — or Climate Cover-Up. Think about it, When was the last time you saw it snow on Whidbey or ice skaters on our frozen lakes? It reminds me of Monty Python’s “Dead Parrot” skit.

He may be well intentioned, what Eric Hoffer calls a “true believer,” or he may be part of the echo chamber described by Dr. Katherine Hayhoe, climatologist and Evangelical Christian, “There’s a well-organized campaign, primarily in the United States, but also in other countries, including Canada and Australia, of bloggers, of people in the media, of basically professional climate deniers whose main goal is to abuse, to harass and to threaten anybody who stands up and says climate change is real.”

Climate denial — that which is not paid for — is born of ideology, addiction and fear. A lack of courage and imagination are the obstacles to necessary change. It is part of the reason battered women stay with and even defend their abusers. It takes courage to face facts and decide to act responsibly. Fear is the mind killer.

Gary Piazzon

Coupeville