On Dec. 26, Rolf Westgard made a demonstrably false statement in the St. Cloud Times/SCTimes.com about climate change. He stated, “The earth is overall warm in 2014, perhaps equaling 1998 and the mid-1930s as among the warmest years of the 21st century.”

Aside from the fact that 1998 and the 1930s were in the 20th century, his comments about the 1930s are false. The 1930s were warm in the United States, but they were cool globally.

I am a climate scientist. I was in China at the time of the U.S.-China announcement. I work on global temperature studies. When people make these types of false statements in the press, it is my professional obligation to submit a correction.

Let’s debate solutions on climate change but let’s at least start with facts, not fantasy.

Dr. John Abraham is a climate scientist at the University of St. Thomas.

Letter: Start global warming debate with facts, truths