For a number of years I have been very concerned about the truth of global warming. I want to honestly know if I should be concerned or if there is truly a political con-game being perpetrated on the public. As I have observed over my lifetime, generally people are pretty lazy and tend to believe what they are told, especially if they are told it often enough and by people who are in the media. Few people will take the time and effort to really study enough to learn the truth for themselves.
More than 50 years ago, when I was a cub scout the age of about 10 or so, my Den Mother took a couple of us little scouts to see a very old woman who lived on a farm on the south side of the San Juan river near Bloomfield, New Mexico. I don’t remember her first name, but her last name was Mangum. She was in her 90’s (remember this was about 1963) and she had settled in the area with her family when she was a little girl. She told us how her family used to take wagons up and down the San Juan river on the ice in the winter. Even at that age, I was amazed because I had never seen much ice on the San Juan, even in the coldest periods; parts would freeze, but to think of taking a heavy wagon on the ice was unimaginable.
This, along with other stories like the ones told by my Dad about the winters in the Salt Lake Valley where the snow drifts reached the telephone wires, has let me to the conclusion that things have indeed warmed up a bit. But I know that this started long before there were so many cars and people and coal-fired power plants. Few people my age experienced much air conditioning until they were in their 30’s.
So my question has been, I know that it has warmed a bit, not a lot but it has definitely warmed. Should I be alarmed? Should I buy into the man-made global warming? What is really the truth in the matter. I have done some reading but never really delved into it as I probably should have. However, I have kept my eyes open for anything that would speak to the issue in a common-sense way that was easy to understand and that had little in the way of bias. I really do want to know the truth, if it is out there. Recently I ran across this booklet by Roy Warren Spencer, Ph.D. He is a real climatologist and one who has spent years studying the matter. His booklet makes sense to me so I wanted to share it with you. Because I know that you might not have time to read the entire booklet, I have highlighted the areas that you should probably read–it will only take a few minutes. I do encourage you to read the entire booklet and study the graphics. I hope this booklet help you the way it has helped me.
Paul Brimhall, CFSP 