In Chapter 2 of Joe Bastardi’s “The Climate Chronicles” is a chart illustrating the changes in the earth’s temperature and CO2 levels for the past 400 million years. I was not there to verify it, but the levels were determined from tree rings and ice core samples which are considered as reliable recorders of geological history. The chart, by Dr C. R. Scotese, is titled “Geological Timescale: Concentration of CO2 and Temperature Fluctuations”.

Six hundred million years ago, CO2 was significantly higher than now, and than the temperature. As the CO2 declined the temperature rose. Global warming and declining CO2? Earth’s temperature fluctuated widely and fell slightly as CO2 increased periodically. About 146 million years ago CO2 began a prolonged gradual decline to the current levels while the temperature stayed near its historical peak for millions of years before beginning a decline to what we now know. CO2 declined while the temperature stayed elevated. Falling CO2 did not change the temperature. When the temperature started declining, CO2 kept declining. Now both CO2 and the temperature are at historical lows. Little correlation.

The chart indicates that frequently when the CO2 increased, a decrease in the temperature followed. The chilling thought is that if the CO2 level increases now it will cause not global warming, but actually global cooling. Hard to believe as both are at historical lows. Now that could be a real climate change. Will anyone know a million years from now?

JEREMY CONLIN

Cocolalla