Dear Editor:

In his Aug. 4 letter to the editor (“Just the facts, ma’am”), Phil Molvar of Southport wrote, “Just 150 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period, CO2 was 1,700 parts per million, more than four times what it is now. Life thrived during those periods. Even the tiniest pea-brain can easily grasp that our current CO2 level of 400 parts per million in no way threatens our existence.”

What he neglected to mention is that those 1,700 parts per million of CO2 trapped enough heat to raise Earth’s global average temperature about 18° F, melting the polar ice caps. Antartica became a lush coniferous forest, and the average global sea level rose some 500 feet.

Since Southport Island tops out at slightly less than 150 feet above mean low water, I trust that Mr. Molvar’s pea brain is up to building a 350-foot tall snorkel so that he can continue to enjoy his unthreatened existence.

Douglas Smith

Boothbay Harbor