Dear Mr Townsend,

I recently attended an all candidates meeting in which you denied climate change was caused by human activity and stated that Co2 was not a pollutant but a naturally occurring gas. I’ve gotten so I can ignore this climate denial bull from the internet trolls but when our politicians and even entire political parties start spreading it I have to speak up.

Ninety seven percent of published and peer reviewed climate scientists agree that human caused climate change is a fact, yet your party claims there is no consensus on climate change? The second part of your answer was at least partially true, Co2 is a naturally occurring gas and in fact a very important one. However, one definition of pollution is “the addition of any substance or form of energy to the environment at a rate faster than it can be dispersed or stored in a harmless form”. This is the case with carbon dioxide.

You seem like an intelligent man so I have to wonder why you would;

A) Publicly claim that human caused climate change wasn’t real, while privately believing it is

B) Care so little about the climate and the people you want to represent that you failed to properly educate yourself on this important issue

Neither of these two options reflect well on you but they are the only two I could come up with. Because it’s not rocket science man, it’s climate science! Not to offend climate scientists everywhere but climate science is something we can relate to more easily. It’s ovens, greenhouses, infrared heaters and big puffy clouds. So, before you have to answer anymore questions on climate change I suggest you do three things.

First, do some reading on how the climate works and how the atmosphere affects it. Second, once you have a basic understanding of the climate move on to climate change and learn about that. Finally, apply what you now know to the disinformation put out by the climate deniers, including your own party.

Best Regards,

Kevin Gibson
Chatsworth