By Ron Lowe Santa Monica Machines of war are revving Editor:
(Re: “Wizards of Oz can predict weather, but not change it,” Feb. 14, page 5) Is it getting hot here? Earth’s atmosphere has just the right amount of carbon dioxide for life to flourish. Changes in carbon dioxide levels bring about changes in the climate — global warming.
Unprecedented amounts of carbon dioxide have been released into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels, oil, gas and coal, while the trees that eliminate carbon dioxide are being cut down at a record pace. The build-up of carbon dioxide has reached such a level that it is actually retarding the escape of solar energy into space. The heat comes in and can’t get back out, exactly like a greenhouse — global warming.
Most of the Antarctic continent is covered by ice nearly two miles thick. These ice sheets help to cool the earth by reflecting the sunlight back into space like a mirror. As glaciers shrink, more sunlight will hit the earth, further heating the planet. The ice cap north of Greenland has already shrunk by 30 percent.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 16, 2007. Read the original PDF.