Climate change predictions proven reasonably accurate

Monte Heil (Letter, May 2, 2019) cites “Atmospheric Escape – Wikipedia,” in an effort to substantiate his claim that CO2 cannot accumulate in the Earth’s atmosphere and contribute to warming. Following the link “carbon dioxide” in his citation, it states in part, “carbon dioxide is the most significant long-lived greenhouse gas in Earth’s atmosphere. Since the Industrial Revolution anthropogenic emissions — primarily from use of fossil fuels and deforestation — have rapidly increased its concentration in the atmosphere, leading to global warming.” He appears to be blissfully unaware that the information he provides clearly refutes his key talking point. Mr. Heil’s failure to recognize that the citation he offers in support of his argument actually disproves it and casts serious doubt on the reliability of anything he has to say about global warming.

He also cites articles from the Principia-Scientifica website to bolster his claim. Principia Scientifica is a fringe organization that specializes in disseminating climate change misinformation. It is notorious for promoting pseudoscience and conspiracy theories. (Search for “Principia Scientifica International — Media Bias/Fact Check”)

Mr. Heil rightly states that not all of Al Gore’s 2006 climate change predictions have come to fruition. Nonetheless, predictions based on comprehensive climatological models have proven to be reasonably accurate and have substantiated Mr. Gore’s basic message that global warming is a looming problem. (Search for “Analysis: How well have climate models projected global warming?”) The fact that the five hottest global temperatures on record have occurred in the last five years is consistent with those predictions.

JACK DeBAUN

Sandpoint