Letter tramples on basic science

In a Wednesday letter, “High horse wrong vehicle for message” a reader wrote that auto charging stations on U.S. 2 are a silly idea because automobiles “do not belch out CO2 as stated but instead emit carbon monoxide.” This is wrong on so many levels that I hardly know where to begin.

Automobiles produce 100,000 times more carbon dioxide than carbon monoxide. If carbon monoxide was the major combustion product of autos we would all be dead, because carbon monoxide is lethally toxic at tiny concentrations. In any case, carbon monoxide is a more damaging greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, so gasoline/diesel burning autos are a major contributor to global warming no matter which gas is emitted.

If nothing else, the letter in question is a strong argument for improving the teaching of science in our public schools. How can voters make correct decisions on policy issues in an increasingly technology-driven world if they are entirely ignorant of the most basic science?

Mark Bothwell, Ph.D.
Sultan