Oct 22, 2014 1 min read

In times of uncertainty and confusion, it is comforting to have something solid and predictable to rely upon. One of those comforts is the Observer-Reporter’s endless propensity to beat the drum about climate change. The Tuesday editorial “America is not out of control” says that the country’s pessimistic mood can be attributed to “lackluster economic recovery”, as well as “Ebola, ISIS, climate change, the problems with veterans affairs”, etc.

The editors either are not aware of, or more probably ignored, a recent Gallup poll regarding the concerns of Americans, and climate change ranked – drum roll, please – dead last. That’s out of something like 20 items.

In the same edition was the headline, “Earth headed for hottest year on record”. That record of course is for the incredible period of the last 135 years. I wonder what percentage that number is compared to the 4 billion years the planet has been in existence. I’m no math whiz, but I’d bet it is a decimal point followed by a whole bunch of zeros. In times of uncertainty, it also helps to maintain perspective.

John Manning

Canonsburg