Heating up the warming debate

I have read with considerable interest the many letters bashing Cliff Harris. Like all humans I am sure he makes mistakes from time to time. But, we have to keep in mind that when Cliff went to school there was no major in climatology and Cliff is one of many who have developed the trade. Cliff is without doubt the foremost climatologist in Idaho.

Those who bash him have nothing to rely on except what has come out of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), a governmental agency funded by the United Nations.

I don't believe that Cliff has ever insisted that the earth is not warming on the long-term. After all, at one time there was a couple thousand feet of ice right here where we live. Our aquifer is filled with rocks that came from northern Canada. So, we are on the tail end of the last glacial period, or on the beginning of the next?

The point is not that the Earth is warming, but how much it is warming, what is the cause, and what are we going to do about it.

The Earth warms and cools, but the amount of change overall the earth is very slight. Thanks to weather satellites we now have a better measure of temperatures.

Our oceans are not only large heat sinks, but also contain huge amounts of carbon dioxide. Warm water holds less carbon dioxide so as the oceans warm they give off carbon dioxide. Because the oceans are very deep in places it takes a very longtime for them to warm to the bottom and they gradually give up their carbon dioxide.

Where does this heating come from? Since all our energy over the history of the Earth has come from the sun, it is very likely that this heat has come from that sun.

Anthony Watts has done a real service by taking pictures of weather stations all over the country. In fact there are probably fewer than a thousand weather stations today that are actually working in the United States.

History shows that carbon dioxide has been much higher than it is now. That is why you find very few geologists among those who preach the end of the world because of climate change. They simply know better.

What we need most of all is an effective way to combat rising temperatures. That means more air conditioning. And that means using more, not less energy. Rather than trying to place blame we ought to be seeking means for harvesting more energy sources on our Earth. Civilization depends on the use of energy. If we cut out the use of energy we will be back in the cave dweller age again.

Contrary to what the EPA may think carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. Go to your local nursery and you will find that they often enrich their greenhouses with C02 because it makes for healthier plants.

I believe that the movement to discredit those who see the fallacies of the IPCC is designed to help us all see that this is just one method in modern history to gain more control over our lives.

Global warming is here with us, it is real, and we need to find ways to adapt to it rather than crucifying those who point out the many cases of junk science associated with it.

James Hollingsworth is a Hayden resident.