Regarding “Arctic Sea Ice Melting Faster, a Study Finds” (May 1), it should be noted the “study” does not report any new data, but merely gives its own interpretation of data freely available to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Given that the IPCC has consistently overestimated rather than underestimated future global warming and global warming impacts, as evidenced by its successively lower temperature predictions and sea level predictions, the new study’s assertion that the IPCC overestimates future Arctic sea ice is quite suspect.
Just as importantly, the new study estimates that 43 percent to 67 percent of recent Arctic sea ice retreat is due to natural forces. The fact that most of the observed sea ice retreat is likely due to natural forces should have been noted in your article.
James M. Taylor ([email protected]) is senior fellow for environment policy at The Heartland Institute.
