Dear Editor:

Why are such trivial causes considered 鈥渂ig forces?鈥�

The earth is closer to the sun in winter but we still have cold winters. The increasing amount of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere causes the carbon dioxide to be absorbed into the ocean thereby increasing the acidity of the water. The acid kills the reefs and bleaches them.

Higher levels of these greenhouse gases trap the sunlight reflecting from the earth and warms up the atmosphere some more. This warmth causes the glaciers and the ice in the Arctic and Antarctic to melt and raise the sea levels. With less ice surfaces reflecting the sunlight back into space, the earth gets warmer and reinforces the melting cycle.

We must realize that the science of global warming and its consequences cannot be denied using trivial examples.

Raymond Wiens, Fernridge