While I am not a climate scientist, I understand the physics of global warming and have read many articles on the subject. I am convinced that human factors are the primary cause of the warming we have seen over the last 60 years.

An interesting and important topic is what should we do about it. The answer being supported by most scientists is to reduce the number of warming gases that we put into the atmosphere. The current administration has rejected that view and is actually encouraging our putting more warming gases into the atmosphere – increase our use of coal.

Another approach to the problem might be to compensate for the increased heating by reducing the sunlight that reaches the ground. A recent article discussed the concept of seeding cirrus type clouds in the stratosphere to reflect sunlight back into space before it reaches the ground. Another suggestion from several years ago involved launching large "umbrellas" into orbit that essentially shaded the Earth from some of the warming Sun rays.

I was surprised to read the recent article because these concepts had been rejected years ago because of the inherent risks. Messing with the Earth's atmosphere is not like something you can try first in the laboratory. A wrong assumption could lead to problems greater than those you are trying to fix.

Another possible zinger in the equation is aerosols. These are tiny particles injected into the atmosphere by coal power plants (which produce both warming and cooling components – mostly warming) or volcanoes, for example. They serve to cool the atmosphere. The most extreme example of this was the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. It made the Earth cooler by approximately 2.2 F for 5 years. There is always the possibility that nature could "save" us from our own folly all by itself.

My personal philosophy is that we should learn as much as we can from Mother Nature, but it is best not to mess with her. The rule of unintended consequences can be deadly.