On March 20, you published a letter (“Too warm? Don’t worry, be happy”) from Gary Tripp in which he stated his beliefs that there is no global warming caused by humans. Combating global warming is so important that these untruths must be answered.

All of Mr. Tripp’s “facts” were wrong, except for the information about the Medieval Warm Period. Some areas of Europe prospered, but much of the rest of the world was devastated by drought. Please read: “The Great Warming; Climate Change and The Rise and Fall of Civilizations” by Brian Fagan.

The drought on the central steppes of Asia drove the Mongolian horsemen under Genghis Khan to invade Europe to survive. Sea level rose 24 inches and between 50,000 and 100,000 people died in a storm surge along what is the present coast of Holland.

Every day there are news articles on the damages of global warming. Whole populations are being evacuated from low-lying areas as sea level rises and drought is causing social unrest in places such as Darfur. Drive to western Montana, and you will see that one-third of the trees are dead, killed by the pine bark beetles which have multiplied due to warmer temperatures.

Increased carbon dioxide is making the oceans acidic, killing many fish. The very conservative UN commission of scientists studying global warming, now states that there is a 90 percent certainty human activities are the fault.

Finally, even if global warming was not occurring, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by increased energy efficiency. We presently waste about 75 percent of generated electricity. Stopping the waste with technology that is already being manufactured will create many new jobs and save us billions of dollars.

Stephen A. Douglass, Ph.D.

University of California

Bainbridge Island