We are the villain

Re “If only gay sex caused global warming,” Current, July 2

Daniel Gilbert’s theory on why global warming does not trigger a more vociferous response is flawed if one looks at how other countries are dealing with it. In Europe, trains, subways, buses, bicycles and walking compete with cars as a means of transportation. Gas prices in Europe are more than twice as much as ours. How do the people there deal with it? They purchase fuel-efficient cars and drive less. Other societies see global warming as a threat to their futures. What the U.S. needs is a change in priorities.

MARC TANNENHAUS

Spring Valley, Calif.

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Gilbert claims that one of the reasons we’re not taking global warming seriously is that there is no villain. There is a villain, and it is us. Global warming is man-made. And because we are incapable of taking responsibility for our actions, very few people are willing to do something to stop it. But I remain hopeful that one day, when another hurricane hits or another river overflows and people are evacuated from their homes, something will click for them as they flee in their SUVs that get 12 miles per gallon.

BARBARA DAVILMAN

Studio City

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It would be helpful to hear from global-warming activists the answer to this simple question: What is the optimum temperature for the world, and why? Is the current temperature “the best of all possible worlds,” or is there a better one? And what should the public pay to get to the optimum?

CARL OLSON

Woodland Hills