My wife and I took a trip to Glacier National Park in Montana. The more I learn about geology, the more skeptical I become about carbon dioxide causing climate change.
Yes, glaciers are shrinking. They have been shrinking since end of the last ice age. Yes, the planet is warming. It has been warming since the end of the last ice age.
During our trip, we stood at a spot which had a mile of ice on it 10,000 years ago. Divide five thousand feet of ice by 10,000 years and we get about six inches of melting per year.
Some say the earth is warming more rapidly now. Indeed. The warmest part of the summer is right before fall. The coldest part of the winter is right before spring. I would expect the most melt to occur right before we begin another cold spell.
What causes the difference between hot and cold? A few things that I have learned is the effect of water. I watched a documentary back in the 70s that said the polar ice caps were temperature buffers. As the ice melts, it affects the temperature of the oceans and affects ocean currents.
Think about the affect of more water on earth. I would expect more evaporation. More clouds would result from the increased evaporation. More rain would result. At the same time, the clouds block the sun. At some point, enough clouds block the sun for the earth to cool. More snow would form as the earth cooled. More snow would reflect more sun, causing the earth to cool more. The process would continue until the earth cooled enough to cause the next glacial cycle.
Once enough water became ice. Evaporation would reduce. Less clouds would mean more solar radiation. More solar radiation would melt more snow. As the snow melts, the dark earth would be exposed. The dark earth would absorb solar radiation, and warming would melt more snow. Then the increased water would create more evaporation and the cycle begins again.
“Is the earth getting warmer?,” is not the right question. The right question is, “What should we do about the earth getting warmer?”
Thinking that we can slow the process may not be productive. We will have to change where we live and how we live if we are to survive long term. We must determine how much time we have and what changes we will need to make.