As pointed out in a recent paid commentary, it is true that water vapor is the largest contributor to the earth’s greenhouse effect and it has received less publicity than other non-condensable gases such as carbon dioxide.
However, rather than proof of a conspiracy theory, it is important to put this into context. Water vapors do not control the earth’s temperature; rather it is instead controlled by temperature. This is because the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere limits the maximum amount of water vapor the atmosphere can contain. Another reason for the particular focus on carbon dioxide is, unlike water vapor that has a short cycle of a few days, carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. Finally, because water vapor is controlled for the most part by local temperatures, humans have little direct influence on it. Consequently, we often focus on factors that we can change.
My point is not to discount the efforts of the author, but rather to illustrate that issues are complex and may not be a conspiracy. Putting perspectives and issues into pre-determined categories gets us nowhere but continued discourse. I agree with the author that we should include many variables such as the influence of water vapor and non-condensable gases when examining climate change. I would also submit that we should include cultural, economic, ecological, scientific and philosophical implications when we discuss the complexities of a mine proposal in a seismically active area such as ours.
Scott Ramsey