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There is a lack of common sense in the global-warming debate. To reverse the warming trend, we don't just have to return to pre-1990 levels of greenhouse-gas emissions; we have to go back even further. The Kyoto Protocol was obsolete when it was drawn up. Without action, the rate of global warming will not be linear but exponential--the rate at which the planet is warming is increasing. We must control global population and cut back drastically on fossil-fuel use. From a global-warming perspective, the only light at the end of the tunnel is that we will eventually run out of fossil fuel. CHARLES ARMSTRONG Prince Rupert, B.C.
Needed: A New Vision
John F. Kennedy made it America's objective to put a man on the moon within a decade. Why not a new objective--to make the U.S. energy-independent within a decade, fully complying with the Kyoto Protocol in the process? President Bush has got to have vision! Developing new energy technology with fewer harmful emissions could be the ticket to getting the U.S. economy back on its feet. WALTER NEUMAIER Kirchseeon, Germany
Speed Demons
Your article on addiction to methamphetamines in Asia was informative [WORLD, April 2]. However, writer Karl Taro Greenfeld seems to share the illusion of those helplessly addicted to speed, that success lies in materialism. He fails to see the contradiction when he mentions that the path to recovery is spiritual. The very fact that strict disciplinary measures do not act as a deterrent to drug use confirms the view that the remedy lies elsewhere. It is perhaps because of the prevalent misconception of success that frustrated people seek transient solace in dangerous chemicals like methamphetamine. ABHAY CHATURVEDI Mysore, India
Greenfeld's story on Asians' addiction to speed or "mad medicine" is the hardest-hitting TIME article I've ever read. As the saying goes, it takes one to know one, and Greenfeld, having been a meth user himself at one time, kept his report free of the moralizing undertones that often seep into similar well-intentioned pieces. The descriptions of methamphetamine use were so lucid, reading them was like experiencing it firsthand. Greenfeld should get a big pat on the back for addressing the issue as a health, social and economic problem independent of politics and class. DUNCAN SNOWDEN Pohang, South Korea
Roots of the Conflict
Matt Rees, in his piece about Israel's new battle plan [WORLD, April 9], stated that Yasser Arafat is "at best in only partial control" of the aggression against Israel. In the same breath, Rees also pointed out that Hamas and Islamic Jihad had sent five bombers into Israel. Arafat is totally in control over revolving-door policies that release militant Palestinians back onto the streets, and he should be held fully accountable for their attacks. JOSH HASTEN Indianapolis, Ind.
Arafat does not have the sole responsibility for the situation in Israel. People forget that Israel is an occupying force in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The intifadeh, or popular uprising, is the people's way of fighting their aggressor and regaining their freedom. The whole struggle in the Middle East could be solved simply by Israel's pulling out of the territories it occupies. To condemn the Palestinians for their struggle for freedom is similar to criticizing the Americans for their struggle for freedom. SHADA RAMAHI Chicago