Global Warming: Facts

Editor’s Note: George Smith sent us the following letter on global warming. It is the first of two parts. Mr. Smith designed and built a weather station at the top of his home, has two degrees from Yale University’s School of Engineering and is a past member of the American Meteorological Society.

To the Editor:

This is in response to two letters appearing in the Gloucester Daily Times questioning man-made global warming. I would like to share my reply with the Cricket readers. The allegations against the International Panel on Climate Change have proved to be bogus, and the skeptics mentioned are relatively unknown. In fact, I would be interested in knowing who they work for.

Here are some established and fully verifiable facts.

During the last ice age, ending about 10,000 years ago, temperatures were only 9 °F degrees cooler.

Key changes already observed here in Massachusetts:

• Temperature has risen 2.9 °F degrees since 1895.
• Growing season has expanded 11 days since 1950.
• Sea level has risen 11 inches since 1922.
• Strong storms have increased 55% since 1958.

More established facts:

• Carbon dioxide traps solar generated heat.
• Over the last 800,000 years, there has been a natural carbon dioxide change of 100 ppm, which normally occurs over 5,000 to 20,000 years. The recent increase of 100 ppm has taken only 120 years since the Industrial Revolution had spread the burning of fossil fuels worldwide. 
• These effects are accelerating due to an engineering term called positive feedback, of which there are a number of examples. One is Arctic sea ice. As it progresses from a reflective surface to open water, more heat is absorbed by the water. This is like an engine where part of the output is fed back into the input so that it runs faster and faster.

These facts are so disturbing that there will always be those who refuse to accept them, especially since they are human caused as a result of the Industrial Revolution and the burning of fossil fuels. My favorite analogy is from my profession. If 9 out of 10 engineers proclaim a bridge is in danger of collapse with only one dissenter, I think we would all agree we would close the bridge and fix it to avoid a likely disaster.

It is not too late to avoid the worst consequences, but it is going to take fast action on personal, state, national and world levels.

George P. Smith, Manchester-by-the-Sea