Warming occurs naturally, data show

Ms. McDonnell (May 17) should realize that the 97 percent figure that all scientists agree that global warming is here was a facetious comment made by one of the “wunderkinds” at the AP when someone suggested that global warming was in fact a hoax. In reality you couldn’t get 97 percent of scientists to agree on when Mother’s Day is to be celebrated. Actually, well more than 50 percent of reputable scientists suggest that there isn’t enough information to conclude that global warming is fact or fiction. Of the rest, most feel that global warming is fiction but some still feel it’s factual.

You must remember that a planet that is between 4.5 billion and 5 billion years old has undergone much warming and cooling in its history, and since man has only occupied the planet for a little more than 200,000 years, much of this occurred before man was even here. If you would like to investigate for yourself you can go onto NOAA’s website. That’s the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Look at the 30-year temperature variation in the U.S. from 1981 till 2010. (NOAA uses 30-year spans for measurement.) By the way, NOAA is a branch of the federal government. You will find that the increase was .5 degree Fahrenheit; had the temperature gone down a like amount would you assume global cooling was in effect? I don’t think so.

Bob Lowth

Arlington Heights