The American Petroleum Institute's broadside ("The Texas heat wave and global warming," letter, Aug. 26) against Molly Ivins's Aug. 24 column is yet another instance of deliberate disinformation by the fossil fuel lobby designed to confuse the public about the reality of global climate change.
In dismissing Ivins's contention that last month's Texas heat wave was a manifestation of global warming, the API's Jim Craig cites the views of two scientists whose views have been rejected by a United Nations panel of more than 2,000 scientists from 100 countries. The first, John Christie, has long contended that satellite readings contradict the warming trend due to the burning of coal and oil, which the UN panel affirmed three years ago. Christie's views were negated earlier this month by a review of that data, which concluded that they do, in fact, confirm the warming trend identified by surface readings and projected by climate computer models.
In fact, a growing number of scientists have concluded that the trend toward more frequent and severe El Nino events correlates directly with the heating of the atmosphere that is largely due to fossil fuel burning.
Craig's assertion that the API is engaged in "an honest debate" about climate science is the most egregious part of his letter. On April 26, a front-page story in The New York Times disclosed that the API mounted a $ 5 million campaign of deception and disinformation to distort the public's understanding of the science. A memo detailing that campaign specified that its goal is to "undercut the prevailing scientific wisdom." The API's letter to the Globe is a manifestation of that campaign.ROSS GELBSPAN, Brookline, The writer is author of "The Heat Is On."
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