To the editor:

Most of us like to continue our comfortable patterns of behavior. Understandably, Cal Thomas (Journal-World, Aug. 17) prefers to believe that global warming isn’t a serious problem. We can continue driving our cars and burning coal for electricity.

Changes do occur – a grandparent gives up car keys for everyone’s safety. Even large corporations, such as Exxon Mobil, want their “good times” to continue.

Who knows how they did it? Oil companies contributed money and convinced well over 100 groups and organizations to become their climate apologists. (See www.exxonsecrets.org. or “The Denial Industry” in George Monbiot’s book “Heat”). Executives must have realized it would look self-serving and suspect for them to claim global warming was not human-induced from burning carbons. Instead reporters found these 100 and more “neutral” third parties, who raised questions about human genesis of global warming. Reporters wrote “balanced” stories giving “both sides” of the issue.

We’ve been “soft-soaped” into doubting the evidence from climate scientists. Despite the anomalies Exxon’s climate apologists latched onto, the overall impact of scientific investigations show humans are heating the climate.

It is time for international agreements by which humans worldwide equitably cut back on releasing CO2 into Earth’s atmosphere.

Mark Larson,

Lawrence