Climate claims shaky

The sustainability initiative article said proponents were surprised at the opposition. They should cultivate a wider circle for discussion. There are statements in the media that there is consensus on global warming but little discussion of what this means.

Is the globe getting warmer? From the early 1900s to 2001 evidence was pretty strong it was. For the past few years satellite-measured temperatures have gone down but there is still a reasonably strong consensus that the trend is up.

Is warming caused by carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels? There is increasing evidence warming is not caused by the greenhouse effect. In climate models, the signature of greenhouse-driven warming is a hot spot about 10 kilometers up in the atmosphere over the tropics. Recent measurements show no evidence of that spot. The globe may be warming, but it is not caused by carbon dioxide.

Can there be significant reduction of carbon dioxide emissions on a worldwide basis? Anyone who has looked into this would say no. The United States might be able to limit the rate we emit, but the adverse economic impact will be huge. However, increases from China and India will outweigh anything we do.

W.C. Rust

Wallace