If the earth truly is warming, then so be it. There are hundreds of other scientists who view warming as a natural pattern in the Earth's ecological cycle, while others want to make it a purely political issue.

I don't deny that all the debris we humans churn into the atmosphere on a daily basis is not helping the matter, and I think we should do what we can to begin reducing these emissions as soon as possible. Moreover, I hope that by the time my nine-year-old son is old enough to drive, cars will be running on fuel cells, and most industries will have invested in clean forms of energy to run their factories.

Here's the deal: Major climatic changes take centuries, even thousands of years to peak before they reverse themselves. Regardless of what we do now, unless the report is true, you and I, our children, and most likely our children's grandchildren will probably not feel any significant effects of the warming trend.

Suffice it to say, regardless of what side of the issue you believe, other than some higher power out there, there's really little we can do about it in our lifetime. Yet, with the IPCC report having created such a brouhaha, I wouldn't be surprised if the anti-smoking fanatics out there begin attributing smoking as part of the problem.

~ Gary Korb