To the editor:

“Global warming a natural cycle” (Take A Stand, Aug. 31) seeks to prove that global warming has nothing to do with humans. Unfortunately, it uses some decidedly illogical logic in its attempt.

It is well known that the Earth has undergone heating and cooling cycles in the past. Yes, humans had nothing to do with these cycles. But that neither proves nor disproves the existence of a human impact on global warming.

To say that just because something happened in the past means that it is happening now for the same reasons is not rational. It is like saying that because lightning is known to cause forest fires, all forest fires are caused by lightning. This is not the case, and forest fires can be caused by a variety of factors, including humans.

Using fossil fuels results in the creation of greenhouse gases that trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. At the very least, this could exacerbate any natural warming cycle with unforeseen consequences.

We should explore energy alternatives to fossil fuels for a few reasons. One, because the effects of their use are possibly harmful to our environment. Two, because they are finite and someday we are going to have to learn to live without them.

No one is saying that we should stop using fossil fuels tomorrow, but we ought to start finding alternatives now. It would be a mistake for our nation to wait until the oil runs out before we find a new source of energy. That just seems logical.

Dean Shutt,

Lawrence