Be technical, not partisan, on climate

It would be nice, and unique, if global warming deniers would base their conclusion on technical grounds rather than ideology and conspiracy theories. For example, Jim Thompson (Fencepost, Jan. 13) believes global warming is a Democratic Party tactic to raise taxes and therefore should not be believed.

What I would like to see from Mr. Thompson, and others of his persuasion, is a technical reason why there should not be any increase in the earth's average temperature, even though the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing. Carbon dioxide has the well-tested and verified property that it allows radiant heat from the sun to reach the surface of the earth, but it tends to block heat being radiated back into space. The more carbon dioxide, the more the blocking effect and, therefore, the higher the average temperature of the earth.

Glass has a similar property, which is why greenhouses work. So the question I would like Mr. Thompson to answer is, Why should there NOT be global warming?

Similarly, Nancy Thorner (Fencepost, Jan. 13) states that there is no difference between weather and climate, a position she takes in an attempt to defend President Donald Trump's apparent belief that global warming was proved to be wrong because it was snowing and cold on the East Coast. In fact, by definition, climate refers to the expected weather conditions for a certain region, based on past experience, and weather is what is happening at a particular time.

The "normal" high temperature for a particular day is a climate property, the actual high temperature for that day is weather related.

So let's try to use a technical approach to the global warming issue. No doubt, ideology will have it's place when what to do about the problem is being debated.

Dick Page

Naperville