Draw your own conclusions 

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• IMAGE COURTESY OF NOAA

On Monday, Aug. 18, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that last month was the fourth-hottest July on record. They included a world map showing the temperature departure from average for July 2014. This data, however, is in respect to a 1981-2010 base period. It seems these scientists don’t want the public to see the whole picture by using U.S. data for the past 130 years (see the accompanying graph). It documents a warming trend, but it also shows that temperatures are cyclic, and that temperature spikes are nothing new. Both the United States and the world have seen a 1.4 degrees F rise in temperatures during this period, so using U.S. data is not misleading and probably is more accurate.

The discourse on climate change in New Times over the past two months has been almost entirely opinions and personal attacks, with very little facts. Hopefully the NOAA graph will present a clearer picture from which your readers can draw their own conclusions.

-- Charlee Smith - Templeton