Phil von Hake responds to
"Globe Warms, Bush Fiddles"
Editorial in Sunday Denver Post

July 21, 2002

The following is a letter that Phil von Hake wrote in response to the "Globe Warms, Bush Fiddles" editorial found in the Sunday July 14, 2002, edition of the Denver Post. The parts of this letter that the Post printed appear in bold.

Three cheers for the Post's column about the Bush administration's inaction towards Global Warming ("Globe Warms; Bush Fiddles," July 14). I especially appreciated the bullet points showing specific proof that rising temperatures are already causing significant changes to life on Earth, none of them for the better.

Regarding insect species moving further northward, proof of that already exists in a previous reports from Barrow, Alaska (the U.S.'s northernmost town), which is currently dealing with a mosquito infestation. That's right: mosquitos can now live comfortably north of the Arctic Circle!

While W may have finally acknowledged that temperatures are rising, he still waffles on whether or not human activity is responsible for it. How much more proof does he and his ilk need that humans - and particularly their burning of fossil fuels - are almost exclusively to blame?

Energy companies ("and their employees in the White House") remind me of the tobacco companies, whose constant denials of the harm their products cuase have only delayed the inevitable. At some point - even long before their non-renewable resources run out - they will have to recognize that burning fossil fuels is forcing global temperatures ever upward, and making our air that much less breathable.

While we can complain about the elite doing nothing, we can also do our part as concerned citizens to lessen the impact of this alarming trend:
- Drive more efficiently (very hard to do in an SUV, by the way!);
- Don't feel the need to refrigerate your house when you're not in it
(primarily responsible for this week's blackouts);
- Buy super-efficient and long-lasting compact flourescent light bulbs;
- Insist for more renewable-energy options like Xcel Energy's "Windsource" program.

Individuals taking these steps - combined with eventual government and corporate action - can and will pull us back from the brink of environmental catastrophe.

Thank you,
Phil von Hake
PvH Communications - "a message to help clear the air"