Greenhouse gases have an alibi

Editor,

My point Mr. Enell is your statement that the 97 percent represents 97 percent of the scientific community. No. I don’t think so. They represent the group of scientists who subscribe to the hypothesis of human caused global warming. Not of all scientists. Not by a long shot.

Ah yes the balance of our ecosystem and the rise of our sea levels

Let me point out that the last glacial period on this wonderful ball of rock that we call home began melting some 20,000 years ago and is still melting.

At one time it covered most of the land masses of the whole western hemisphere as well as Asia, Africa and the Antarctic with miles deep ice. I repeat miles thick ice sheets.

Go aboard one of Washington State’s ferries that carry you from our beautiful inland to the mainland. Up in the passenger lounge on some you may find an exhibit of the history of our area during the last glacial period. It will show the area of Puget Sound under a mile, 1720 meters, of ice. Where is that ice now? Well one place it is is under the keel of the ferry you are riding on.

In the 20,000 years since that ice started melting it has given up enough water to raise the sea level some 400 feet. The Arabian Desert is now the Arabian Sea. The land that connected Asia to the North America continent is gone. It is under 300 feet of ocean water. The United Kingdom which was once a part of the continent of Europe/Asia is now an Island.

Now you mention that the sea level could rise by 3 feet over the next several years Bingo! You got that right. It will rise 3 feet and more as the glacial ice continues to melt.

Now what started all of this melting? Did our ancestors some 20,000 years ago start having big bon fires and heating up the atmosphere? I rather doubt that. As a matter of fact what caused the melting or what caused the freezing to begin with is a subject of a different discussion and I’ll not go there right now.

Whatever it was it was not humans that are causing the present continuing melting by pumping greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.

Is or are these gasses causing the ice to melt? Based on what we know for sure is that the ice has been melting long before humans ever even knew what a green house gas was.

That is green house gasses’ alibi and they are sticking to it.

RON WYMAN

Clinton