The Myth of CO2 as a Pollutant
A recent newspaper article written by a typical journalist stated that:
"Today, about 27 percent of the nation's carbon dioxide emissions come from coal-fired power plants, which generate 44 percent of the electricity used in the U.S. Just under 25 percent of power comes from burning natural gas, more than double its share a decade ago but still with room to grow."
The article went on at some length to state how "clean burning natural gas" was the fuel that would save the planet from the evils of "man-made global warming."
It's amazing how scientifically illiterate the world seems to be. Doesn't anyone realize that the burning of natural gas releases CO2 - just like coal!
(CH4 [methane] + O2 [when burned] = CO2 + H2O - it's very simple chemistry!
CO2 is not a problem. We are made from CO2. CO2 is not a pollutant.
Without it, we would all be dead. All plant life from which all the food we eat comes from needs CO2. More CO2 is beneficial - not harmful.
Today at 380 ppm (parts per million) atmospheric CO2 comprises .038 of 1% of the atmosphere. That means 99.962% of the atmosphere is not CO2.
All of mankind's activities is thought to produce 40 gigatons (billion tons) of CO2). Atmospheric CO2 is estimated to be around 40,000 gigatons. That means that all of mankind's contribution to atmospheric CO2 .01 of 1% of the total CO2. The other 99.99% of atmospheric CO2 comes from natural sources of the land, forests, and oceans which we could never control if wanted to.
The climate changes. It has for 4.5 billion years and will continue to do so. It has been "warming" for the last 11,000 years without mankind's help. More CO2 would be a good thing.
With more CO2, crops could be grown in higher latitudes to feed more people. With more CO2, plants become more xeric (drought tolerant). If it were warmer, it would rain more often, not less.
The single largest "greenhouse gas" is water vapor - Clouds! Not CO2.
Scientific illiteracy is going to kill us all.
CO2 is not a pollutant despite the stupidity of the head of the EPA. Without CO2, we would exist.
"Today, about 27 percent of the nation's carbon dioxide emissions come from coal-fired power plants, which generate 44 percent of the electricity used in the U.S. Just under 25 percent of power comes from burning natural gas, more than double its share a decade ago but still with room to grow."
The article went on at some length to state how "clean burning natural gas" was the fuel that would save the planet from the evils of "man-made global warming."
It's amazing how scientifically illiterate the world seems to be. Doesn't anyone realize that the burning of natural gas releases CO2 - just like coal!
(CH4 [methane] + O2 [when burned] = CO2 + H2O - it's very simple chemistry!
CO2 is not a problem. We are made from CO2. CO2 is not a pollutant.
Without it, we would all be dead. All plant life from which all the food we eat comes from needs CO2. More CO2 is beneficial - not harmful.
Today at 380 ppm (parts per million) atmospheric CO2 comprises .038 of 1% of the atmosphere. That means 99.962% of the atmosphere is not CO2.
All of mankind's activities is thought to produce 40 gigatons (billion tons) of CO2). Atmospheric CO2 is estimated to be around 40,000 gigatons. That means that all of mankind's contribution to atmospheric CO2 .01 of 1% of the total CO2. The other 99.99% of atmospheric CO2 comes from natural sources of the land, forests, and oceans which we could never control if wanted to.
The climate changes. It has for 4.5 billion years and will continue to do so. It has been "warming" for the last 11,000 years without mankind's help. More CO2 would be a good thing.
With more CO2, crops could be grown in higher latitudes to feed more people. With more CO2, plants become more xeric (drought tolerant). If it were warmer, it would rain more often, not less.
The single largest "greenhouse gas" is water vapor - Clouds! Not CO2.
Scientific illiteracy is going to kill us all.
CO2 is not a pollutant despite the stupidity of the head of the EPA. Without CO2, we would exist.
