The facts on 1970s climate science

Monte Heil (Daily Bee, July 25) responded to statements I made in my letter (Daily Bee, July 14). He claims I made "many deceptive and misleading statements." I gave reputable sources for the information I provided (something he rarely, if ever, does). Can he substantiate his claim of gross deception?

In my letter, I provided a rebuttal to the myth that most climate scientists predicted global cooling in the 1970s. ("Study debunks 'global cooling' concern of '70s") In his letter, Mr. Heil insists the 1970s global cooling scare was real. To no surprise, he neglected to mention the salient findings discussed in the source I provided. A survey of climate-related scientific papers from 1965 to 1979 showed only 10% predicted cooling, 28% were neutral, and 62% predicted warming. A clear majority of climate studies from the 1970s accurately predicted warming from carbon dioxide emissions.

It is true that some articles published by various public news media speculated about the possibility of an impending ice age because of the unusually cold 1970s. However, such articles were not accurate representations of majority scientific thinking at the time. Science stories (especially buzzworthy ones) from general media sources should be taken with a grain of salt if they contradict the conclusions of most qualified experts. Sensationalism sells.

For those interested in reliable climate science information, I recommend: Skeptical Science, Climate Central, NOAA Climate, and NASA Climate Science. For a more detailed discussion of the '70s cooling myth, search "What did the 1970s climate science actually say?"

JACK DeBAUN

Dover