Looking out the Window: Are Humans Really Responsible for Changing Climate? The Trial of Carbon Dioxide in the Court of Public Opinion

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The hot, dry seasons of recent years have led to the rapid disintegration of glaciers in Glacier National Park, Montana, with Sperry Glacier losing a significant portion of its ice over the past 18 years. If this trend continues, it may almost disappear in another 25 years. Born about 4,000 years ago, the glaciers that attract visitors are shrinking so quickly that those who visited a decade ago would hardly recognize them today. These alarming reports echo frequent warnings about the consequences of global warming, often attributing it to fossil fuel use. However, the reports cited were made nearly thirty years apart—one in 1923 before the Dust Bowl and another in 1952 during a cooling trend that spurred fears of a new ice age. Interestingly, Sperry Glacier is now considered a moderately sized glacier, according to the US Geological Survey. Questions arise about the causes of past climate changes and the recent growth of glaciers since 2010, despite the earlier predictions of their disappearance. Was late 20th-century warming due to fossil fuel emissions, or was it a natural response to solar activity? These questions are explored in "Looking Out the Window," inviting readers to consider the evidence and form their own conclusions about carbon dioxide's role in climate change.