June 5, 2011
To the Editor
1-904-359-4390

I was saddened to see the letter you published by one more environmentalist, who is bound by emotion, to the exclusion of facts. As a former Director, Office of Policy, Planning and Analysis at the Department of Energy, I have considerably more knowledge of the facts about Global Warming than the average “Joe/Jill the Plumber”. I hope this letter will help every Joe/Jill the Plumber to know what he/she really needs to know.

CO2 is NOT the major global warming gas. 85% of global warming gases are attributable to WATER VAPOR (Clouds, etc.). CO2 is vital to plant’s photosynthesis, which is how the atmosphere gets its oxygen. Yet it is an infinitesimal part of our atmosphere. 99% of our atmosphere is made up of Oxygen and Nitrogen. The remaining 1% represents every other trace gases, including CO2. Of that 1%, CO2 is just 3.6%, and of that 3.6%, only 4% comes from man – the vast majority coming from Mother Nature. Every text on Atmospheric Chemistry will confirm these numbers. Further, the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland wiped out ALL the CO2 savings by man in the last 5 years, in just 4 days! Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 1991, and spewed out more CO2 than man has produced in man’s entire history.

Doing the math, Man accounts for 0.00144% of the gases in the atmosphere – hardly enough to measure, unless you go to parts per BILLION. The oceans are a huge sink for gases such as CO2. When the oceans cool, they absorb gas. When they are heated, they give off this gas. Thus, contrary to what Al Gore expounds, Global Warming CAUSES CO2 to increase in the atmosphere by warming the oceans – CO2 is not the CAUSE of Global Warming, but rather is the EFFECT of Global Warming.

So what is the cause of Global Warming? The only scientific measurement that correlates with Global Warming is sunspot activity. Indeed, at the present time, scientists detect that the surface of other planets in the Solar System are slightly increasing in temperature. The ONLY thing that all the planets have in common is that we are all heated by the same sun. So – the SUN is the cause of Global Warming, not Man’s activities. Eliminating man-made CO2 to fight Global Warming through Cap and Trade is a futile exercise, which will only increase the taxes we pay, and cripple our nation’s industrial might. Hey – maybe that’s what the environmentalist want!

Sincerely,
J. Hunter Chiles, III
Retired Professional Engineer

3523 S. FLETCHER AVE • FERNANDINA BEACH, FL • 32034
PHONE: 904-491-0007 • FAX: 904-491-0777
E-MAIL: JHCTHE3@COMCAST.NET