I was surprised and dismayed at an April 3 Korea Times’ article, “Does Earth really need our protection?” The writer’s reasoning shows a profound lack of understanding of the issues involved in environmental degradation and global warming.
The author compares the rise in average temperatures over decades to the margin of error in meteorological predictions. This is so incredibly wrong and ignorant, I hardly know where to start. The ups and downs of daily weather have no relationship whatsoever to broad changes in climate over decades, and even suggesting that they do is displaying such a fundamental misunderstanding of climate change that he has no business writing an article about it.
He also suggests that the “yellow sand” phenomenon in Korea is not serious, because few people are hospitalized by it. Is he honestly suggesting that Gobi desertification in China and Mongolia is not an important issue, because no one in Korea is getting seriously ill from it? Again, I am baffled that the writer believes he understands these issues well enough to publically write an article about them.
His overarching theme is that the Earth will survive whatever harm humans do it. This is true. However, this sentiment ignores the real issue: that humans could inadvertently spoil our environment to the point that we ourselves will suffer serious consequences. He sets up a classic “straw man” argument. Destroy the Earth? Of course not. Destroy our own vital resources? A definite possibility, one that he seems happy to ignore.
Michael Weber
English teacher
Busan
English teacher
Busan
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