Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-01-26
THE NEW FoRcEs-P
by PHIL YEAGER and
JOHN STARK
special writers for rAs star


Maybe the most pressing prob
lem facing the world today Is the
threat OF the hydrogen-warhead
ICBM. Then again. maybe II
isn't.
There Is an increasing band Of
scientists who wonder II . greater
problem may be the effect modern
civilization Is having on the
worlds climate. whether mans
very productivity Is not setting
the stage for natural disaster.
Their reason: The eartht tenn
perature Is rising. and the evi-
dence Is daily becoming stronger
that this Overwhelmingly i'm
portant fact Is largely due to
mans practice Of making fossil
fuels--wood. coal. oil. gasoline
do his work for him.
The scientists call this the Car
bon Dioxide Theory Of Climatic
Change. In essence. It holds that
Industrial and machine exhaust
Is now dumping 50 much Goa
into the atmosphere-some 6,000.-
100000 tons per year-that the
earth's natural carbon dioxtde
balance Is upset. which Is causing
global temperatures to rise.
The theory is not new. It had
considerable currency at the turn
Of the century. but was more Of
less Abandoned in later decades
due to observations which seemed
incompatible. Now. on the basis
Of new findings. II has emerged
with greater force-enough to
convince some scientists and start
Others on on q fresh search for
proof that win settle the matter.
What difference does O mild
rise IN elobal temperatures make?
DR.. Edward Teller, California
physicist who pioneered the H
bomb. described the effect In these
terms 70 Q recent gathering Of
scientists at Tulsa. Okla:
.. the Ice caps on the poles
win begin to melt and the amount
Of water on the earth will in
crease. Such places as New York
and Holland would be inundated"
The temperature rise DR.. Teller
was talking about would not have
to be very great In absolute terms.
Two or. three degrees centigrade
over several centuries, the experts
suggest. might raise ocean levels
anywhere from so to 100 feet.
Evidence Grows
Evidence that we are In the
midst Of such q warm" trend
seems to Be accommodating.
Weather Bureau observers say
that readings taken In the Arctic
section Of the globe indicate q
general temperature rise Of 'sev.
.eral" degrees magnitude In the
past 20 years or so. Glaciers are
retreating.
Last year in the Pacific, Hawaii
was hit By the FIRST hurricane IN
its recorded history. Such storms
USUALLY AC10At AAOAAA tAQRAILA lOlSE1.
In December. the California Ma
rine Research Committee noted
that Pacific water temperatures In
1857 had increased markedly over
the l049-56 average. The change
was reported as oeeanwide and In
some places amounted to as much
as SIS degrees Fahrenheit above
the previous norm. Water TEN.
peratures along the West Coast
were the highest In 20 years.
Scientists are not being alarm
ist. There Is no suggestion Of any
immediate danger from rising
ocean levels. and It II freely adj
mitted that the warming trends
may be due mainly to normal
fluctuations and oscillations Of
climate.
At the same time. however. II
Is recognized that the changed
conditions Of atmosphere being
induced by our modern industrial
society are accelerating in geo.
metric progression. So II the re-
leased coz Is O likely cause Of
serious climatic change. II be-
hooves US to ind out for sure.
And II the answer IL Affirmative.
action win have to be taken.