The following is a letter to the editor of an environmental magazine.

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The following is a letter to the editor of an environmental magazine.

“The decline in the numbers of amphibians worldwide clearly indicates the global pollution of water and air. Two studies of amphibians in Yosemite National Park in California confirm my conclusion. In 1915 there were seven species of amphibians in the park, and there were abundant numbers of each species. However, in 1992 there were only four species of amphibians observed in the park, and the numbers of each species were drastically reduced. The decline in Yosemite has been blamed on the introduction of trout into the park’s waters, which began in 1920(trout are known to eat amphibians eggs). But the introduction of trout can not be the real reason for the Yosemite decline because it does not explain the worldwide decline.”

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The reasons listed in the letter seem supportive to the arguer’s conclusion that the declination of the number of amphibians around the world suggests the global pollution of water and air. However, a careful examination of this letter would reveal how unfounded it is.

The most severe problem with this letter is that the arguer fails to establish a causal relationship between the decrease of the amphibians’ number and the global pollution of water and air. The pollution of the water and air may lead to the declination of the number’s of animals living on the earth, for ...

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