Climate change cannot be ignored

I agree with the July 26 column by Greg Fingas, Province must be part of solution to climate crisis. The crisis caused by global warming is very serious, and efforts must be made throughout the world to reduce such effects as melting of glaciers, flooding and increased wildfires.

Global warming has been studied very extensively. It is caused by increased amounts of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. What must be done in Canada and particularly in Alberta and Saskatchewan to reduce the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?

Coal produces more units of carbon dioxide for each unit of heat than burning of other fuels. Therefore, coal should not be burned unless the resulting carbon dioxide can be recycled economically to other uses. Coal should be left in the ground.

What about other fuels such as gasoline or the methane of natural gas? Burning of those fuels is not as bad as coal, but there is still a large contribution to global warming. Calculations indicate that to keep global warming in reasonable check requires that a considerable fraction of these fuels should also remain in the ground.

Production of fuels such as gasoline and natural gas contributes very appreciably to the economy of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Even so, the threat of global warming is so great that we must do our part in acting against this global threat by applying a carbon tax. We must act.

W.J. Decoursey, Saskatoon