A few months ago I gave a retired director of the Climate Services division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration a ride to where he could start a hike. I'd volunteered to stash some supplies and give him and a friend a ride from the airport some time ago. It was an hour drive, and we had dinner.

I asked if global warming was a real phenomenum and if it was anthropomorphic. He said there are three answers.

First, scientifically, there is no doubt the warming is real and is man-made.

Second, from the energy producers, the answer is that it's a normal variation such as has been seen many, many times in the past and Man is not a factor. They are following the same strategies the tobacco companies used very successfully for years, denying and funding questionable studies. They have virtually unlimited money to do this.

Third comes the right-wing, including but not limited to fundamental Christians. They deny anything but a possible normal variation because to accept more would impact their way of life. Their model is that which is used in the creation v. evolution debate, which allows them to believe anything regardless of facts and data. They are set in their beliefs and will never change in their generation. They eagerly grab the studies put out by the energy companies to rationalize their denial.

He added that the consequences of this warming cannot be predicted with anything approaching precision, and the prognosticators are all guessing.

I rather enjoyed the time I spent with him, and especially enjoyed his breakdown of the "answer" into three "answers".