U.S. must help stop global warming

To the editor:

Feb. 16, 2005, is a landmark day in global environmental history. It is the day the Kyoto Protocol went into effect. The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty to slow global warming by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. To date, 140 nations have agreed to participate in the Kyoto Protocol. The United States, the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, is not a participant.

The scientific evidence for human-driven global warming is overwhelming. The uncertainties that remain are how large, how fast and how bad.

I am proud to be an American and happy to be a parent. I love my country and my kids. The United States cannot continue to sit idly by, ignoring both science and the international community. The United States must join worldwide efforts to slow global warming. Our children's future is at stake.

We must undertake efforts to slow global warming now. The longer we delay, the more difficult the problems and the more serious the consequences. The U.S. should see efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions as an economic opportunity, not as an economic threat. We are the leading country in the world. Why are we not leading on this planet-wide challenge to future generations?

I ask the Missourian to continue coverage of global warming. I ask Missourian readers to be aware of and concerned about this issue. I urge readers to tell Congress that we want bipartisan legislation to address the role of the U.S. in efforts to slow global warming.

Dr. STEPHEN R. OVERMANN, Director, Environmental Science Program, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau