To the editor:

The Dec 4, 2019 editorial ‘Who’s fiddling while the planet burns?’ said: “Between 2000 and 2018, U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) decreased by about 14%.” Now take a look at the NOAA monthly average Mauna Loa CO2 graph (1958-2019); note that atmospheric CO2 has been steadily rising since 1958. Are we in the U.S. ever going to stop playing the ‘Carbon footprint reduction game’? The graph tells us our CO2 reduction efforts have zero effect.

Water vapor (a greenhouse gas), traps about 1375 times more heat than man’s CO2; and about 8620 more heat than man-made methane (this includes livestock production). That’s based on a conservative 1% global atmospheric WV content; however it can, at times go up to 4% in places.

The thing about WV is it’s variability from day to day and place to place over the earth; and that’s a big problem for climatologists when trying to get climate models to work. Consider that even a somewhat small up or down change in the massive quantity of WV may release or absorb far more heat, and therefore have more effect on temperature, than would a doubling of our current tiny CO2 level.

Oceans have a huge effect on WV level depending on amount of cloud cover blocking the sun’s energy, and, what the 40,000 mile “tank heater” (under-sea volcanic mountain chain) happens to be belching out at any given time.

So bring on the CO2, green plants love it and grow bigger as the concentration goes up, thereby creating a “greener planet.”

Like evolution, heliocentricity, and billions of years old earth, the “man-made global warming” position appears to be indefensible.

Phil Drietz

Delhi