Letters to the Editor for June 18, 2017

Global warming can be attributed to rising CO2 levels

Doyle Hanks in his recent letter regarding the causes of global warming is to be commended for including a reference, “The Earth and Its Peoples.” However, that book on human history apparently does not correct the common misconception that solar variability is the principle cause of our current warming.

The effects of solar cycles and solar variability are well known to climatologists and atmospheric physicists and are rather well accounted for in the current climate models. It is well accepted by virtually all climate scientists that the current warming trend is dominated by the 50 percent increase in carbon dioxide since the start of the Industrial Revolution.

The current CO2 level of 410 parts per million is the highest in human history. The last time Earth had comparable levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide was about 3 million years ago, during the mid-Pliocene.

Back then, the global average temperature was about 2 to 3 degrees Celsius (3.6-5.2 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than it is today. Sea levels were also 15–25 meters (about 50 to 80 feet) higher than today. If one is interested in the reality (rather than the politics) of our current global warming, then an excellent non-technical reference is “A Climate For Change: Global Warming Facts for Faith-Based Decisions,” coauthored by climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe (katharinehayhoe.com) and Evangelical Christian Pastor Andrew Farley (Andrew Farley Ministries, andrewfarley.org). It should be required reading for any head-in-the-sand purveyor of political alternative realities like our single-minded Appeal contributor Mr. Fred LaSor.

Jon Nowlin

Carson City

Teacher needs help from Nevadans

I am an elementary school teacher in Idaho and I am in need of some help.

I want to do a school project for the upcoming 2017-2018 school year with my class. I need a retired license plate from the Silver State (Nevada).

I know that these are usually recycled, but if you have one you could donate to me, I would greatly appreciate your help. Thank you!

My school address is 2801 Hunters Loop, Blackfoot, Idaho, 83221.

Benjamin Parker

Blackfoot, Idaho