Thank you for Brian Nearing's article on how climate scientists like Michael Mann are being persecuted and bullied by oil and gas tycoons who want to confuse the public about climate change in order to prevent legislation that might lower their profitability.
The same tycoons who deny climate change exists also claim that any measure proposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions won't work, and will hurt the economy.
Not true. Greenhouse gas regulations do reduce emissions. Regulations may be a burden and expense to polluters, but climate change is expensive for the entire population, which has to deal with increasing food prices, increasingly dangerous weather, rising seas, wildfires and the cost of climate change-related health issues.
In addition, increasing auto emissions standards will fight climate change, but the oil and gas tycoons argue it will cost lives and make cars more expensive. Climate change is anticipated to cost 100 million lives by 2030 from weather disasters, health crises, food shortages, and related violence.
The best approach to climate change would be to charge polluters for the greenhouse gas emissions they currently release into our atmosphere for free. They argue that these charges will be passed on to the consumer, causing prices to increase. However, consumers already pay for the costs of climate change caused by these emissions.
Let's stop allowing free pollution and then consumers will be able to choose not to buy products and power that pollute.
JUDY WEISS
Brookline, Mass.