This is in response to the letter from Frank Gillock, “Reader: Global warming isn’t for real.” Mr. Gillock writes, “There are a handful of scientists, who have a political agenda, who are propagating ‘global warming.’ Scientists all over the world have discounted this theory for many years now and it is time we listened to the majority rather than the minority who have a political agenda.”

I’m sure we would all be delighted if this were true. Global warming is an important subject to those who own property at the beach, who may be underwater if it continues! But a little research quickly shows that even some of the anti-global-warming websites admit that the scientists who disagree with the concept that global warming is taking place, and human activity is at least in part responsible, are in the small minority. Most reputable news media and scientific publications treat global warming as an established fact.

One Web site, which promotes the idea that global warming is “junk science,” mentions that only about 15 percent of scientists agree with that notion, then goes on to argue that sometimes the minority is right.

Those of us who are scientists can study the problem and draw educated conclusions. Those of us who are not scientists can study what they have said, evaluate their evidence, and draw conclusions based on what we understand of what they are telling us. But let’s try to get the numbers right.

One more thing: it is serious to charge a scientist with misusing data in order to promote a political agenda. Granted, it happens; but shouldn’t we at least present evidence if we make such a charge?

Mr. Gillock is right that “we need to respect what we have and thank God for it.” He is wrong, however, when he asserts that we cannot destroy anything without the Creator’s consent. God has given us the gift of free will, and we have used it to destroy a great many things that the Creator values. God cannot both give us free will and stop us from using it; otherwise there would be no wars.

Blaine R. Hammond

Long Beach