Dear Editor:
Several weeks ago, Dylan Cooper wrote a lengthy article concerning solar and in particular, Page County. The article was well written and included a lot of information, however, he did include a climate statistic which is correct as written but uses specific time periods which distort the validity of the statistic.
Dylan is not the first, by a long shot, to use this technique to distort the true picture. The U.S. Dept. of Energy, the U.N., The National Academy of Science, and almost every other entity uses the same technique.
Let me explain: Dylan wrote, “The average temperature was 1.84 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1951-1980 baseline average.” Sounds innocent enough. The problem is the 1951 to 1980 years WERE THE ONLY YEARS IN THE LAST 120 WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WENT DOWN INSTEAD OF UP.
From 1900 to the late 1940’s the temperature went up fairly rapidly, declined slightly from 1951 to the late 70’s and rapidly again until today, and shows no sign of slowing down. Down a lot in 90 years and up a little in 30. A true reading of the temperature gain from 1900 to 2020 would be closer to 1.50 F than the 1.84 F, as written.
Dylan was being honest in including the time frame in his article and it is hard to fault him when this subterfuge is so pervasive. It is constantly accepted in the most distinguished journals. I had a two-year discussion with one of my best friends, a member of The National Academy, that The Academy was using 1900 and 1980 as target dates for their findings — 1900 and 1980 were the coldest periods in the history of the thermometer. He finally agreed.
The history of the climate change debate, at all levels, is so full of misinformation that the truth is impossible to find. The scientists are always sure to put in the correct time period they used in their reports, but never a mention of how that figure distorts the total picture.
The real question is, why do climate authorities knowingly feel justified in using erroneous statistics to make their argument? Maybe they aren’t very confident in their findings and need to “cook the books” a bit.
Paul Quigg ~ Luray, Va.
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