Other thoughts on climate change

Published 3:25 pm Tuesday, April 6, 2010

The recent letter from John Elsbree requires a response. As anyone who has visited the Dry Falls visitor center in Eastern Washington knows, large portions of the northern hemisphere were buried under miles of ice about 10,000 years ago. This ice melted fairly rapidly and by about 5,000 years ago the development of modern man began.

A basic understanding of physics makes it obvious that “Global Warming” started at least 10,000 years ago.

Equally obviously man-made CO2 had nothing to do with the onset of “Global Warming.” It is likely that this fact is the reason for the politically correct renaming to “Climate Change.”

Second, as a professional engineer with considerable experience in complex simulation, I undertook a review of information on the simulation models being used for the climate change studies. It soon became clear that the models are extremely limited in their scope when compared to the magnitude of the simulation attempted.

At last review none of the models had been able to accurately model what actually occurred over the last 50,000 years or so. Which means that the models would not have been able to predict the last ice age or for that matter the warming that followed.

Third, CO2 is essential for our existence. It contributes to plant growth and higher levels of CO2 reduce the plants moisture requirement. With the projected increases in the world’s population both of these benefits argue that perhaps the present levels of CO2 are not sufficient.

John Perreault, Bellevue