To the Editor:

Alan Guebert wonders why farmers are opposed to the climate change legislation being proposed by our Congress while the general thinks it must become law.

These proponents of “cap and trade” believe man must quit using coal and oil because “carbon dioxide builds up in the atmosphere causing global warming.” Now farmers and many others understand that these are fairy tales, and have no basis in fact.

The United Nations committee on global warming has estimated that only about 3 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere can be attributed to man. The other 97 percent comes from volcanoes, forest fires, animal digestive processes, decaying vegetation, etc.

Every time it rains, the carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen and other pollutants in the atmosphere are brought to earth. The carbon dioxide is digested by the corn, beans, etc.; the carbon becomes part of the plant; the oxygen is released to the air and the cycle begins again. When the rain falls in the oceans (75 percent of the earth’s surface) green plants such as kelp or algae convert the elements into food the fish eat. This is the system that Mother Nature has used for millions of years.

The proposed cap and trade bill will levy a tax on every person in the country who uses fuel of any kind in his car, truck, home heating and cooking, electricity, businesses, manufacturing plants, etc. This tax money would then be sent to someone in Nicaragua, or some other country to keep him from cutting the trees that produce oxygen.

What most people don’t understand is when a tree dies, the aerobic bacteria that digest the wood, use as much oxygen as the living trees are producing. Only by harvesting the tree does the forest continue to produce an excess of oxygen. (200 bushel corn will digest CO2, as well, retaining the carbon in the plant and releasing over 16,000 pounds of oxygen). Carbon dioxide is not harmful, it does not build up in the atmosphere. Mother Nature has for millions of years regulated the temperature of the earth and kept it in balance.

Farmers in the United States no longer use a hoe to produce the bountiful food harvests that we enjoy. We do use a lot of diesel fuel, coal for refrigeration and processing the food. We produce almost 75 percent of the food that is in the export market every year. National security is also affected by our ability to send food to many starving countries. Much of the $386 billion sent overseas to pay for oil is our corn and wheat — it goes to friend and foe alike.

Over a year ago, 31,000 scientists sent a petition to the National Press Club stating that the supporters were “using questionable science” in their conclusion. I was watching the program. It’s too bad that Guebert did not have to opportunity to see it before he wrote his piece.

The estimated taxes raised by this bill will cost every citizen at least $2,000 per year in direct costs and farmers will pay much more. We will never go back to farming with a hoe (nor would you have enough to eat). Unfortunately, farmers are too busy getting the crops in to run to Washington to try to stop some of these proposals.

I can remember the story of Chicken Little who kept saying “the sky is falling.” Will the sky fall if we eliminated the 3 percent of the CO2 man is involved in without eliminating the 97 percent from volcanoes, forest fires decay, etc.?

Al Schumann

Eyota