Global Warming and Hurricanes

* Regarding your Nov. 11 editorial, “Gridlock on Global Warming,” suggesting that Hurricane Mitch is one of the many environmental upheavals that scientists relate to global warming: Some scientists suggest that to be the case, but many other scientists are far from convinced. Global warming proponents have failed to come up with a viable explanation for the many severe prehistoric climate changes, both warming and cooling, that are well documented in the Earth’s geologic record.

All of these climate events preceded any global pollution created by man’s industrial activity. Clearly substantiated is the explosion of human population in the so-called underdeveloped countries, most of which, like Honduras, Nicaragua, Bangladesh, Mali, etc., are in the climate belts where hurricanes are common. The more poor people living in the hurricane belts of the world, the more people are going to be killed not only by hurricanes but also by floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc.

The concern expressed for the loss of life in Central America is much more effectively addressed by providing more aid to population-control programs in the underdeveloped countries and by providing those countries the support necessary to raise their standards of living.

IVAN P. COLBURN

Emeritus Professor of Geology

Cal State L.A.