He then throws a rock and says that Earth’s atmosphere is 95 percent water vapor. Actually, it is about four-fifths nitrogen. Most of the rest is oxygen. Water content varies quite a bit and is at most a few percent. This has been known for well over a century.

The composition of the atmosphere is part of Oklahoma’s science standards for grade six. He seems to think he has made a point when he says that climate changes over geologic time. My name is not Kern, I accept geology. And so do scientists.

I might suggest Peter Ward’s “The Medea Hypothesis” as an interesting, although controversial, book on naturally caused catastrophic climate change in Earth’s history. That climate changes over geologic time does not mean that man can’t change it too.

McVay ridicules the very notion that carbon dioxide could be climatically significant. Scientists know what frequencies of electromagnetic radiation (light, etc.) carbon dioxide and other gases absorb and how much. Thus, they can calculate the greenhouse effect the atmosphere should have, and it agrees with empirical measurements.

As for the sun, scientists know about solar variability. They use satellites to directly measure it. The rising-temperature trend has happened in spite of a current cooling trend for the sun. Might I suggest that if someone has to suggest that a strong majority of scientists and an overwhelming majority of relevant scientists are undereducated morons, then he is a crank?

—Michael Hopkins
Norman

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