To all my Libertarian Friends,
There has been a lot of discussion about atmospheric carbon dioxide closely correlating with the apparent increasing global temperature. Actually the temperature appeared to be decreasing not too many years ago and articles were written warning us of the coming ice age. All this time the carbon dioxide continued to go up steadily. One may attribute this to a lagging effect so that a decade or two may not make any difference. Some people who have been measuring carbon dioxide and global temperature claim there is a lag of about 800 years so that the temperature goes up and carbon dioxide increases about 800 years later. They may or may not be correct.
It is a well-know fact that can be shown in the laboratory, that cold water absorbs more carbon dioxide than warm water. One can demonstrate this fact by warming a seven-up and observing the bubbles of carbon dioxide coming off. It is also known that the cool oceans have absorbed small amounts of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide also makes up a small fraction of our atmosphere along with water vapor. When the oceans warm they tend to give off both carbon dioxide and water vapor. These are both “greenhouse gases”. The oceans are very large and small changes in temperature could supply huge amounts of both of these gases to the atmosphere. ; Carbon dioxide is also the end product of the bacterial decomposition of all organic material like the leaves and fallen trees of the vast rain forests around the world. Methane is another “greenhouse gas” that is given off in the bacterial decomposition of organic material either during its travel through animals or just deep in the swamps of the rain forest. Methane is otherwise known as “swamp-gas”. I hope nobody wants to get rid of our wet lands and rain forests.
Limestone is a very abundant deposit over most of the earth. When limestone is treated with acid (sulfur oxides from burning fossil fuels or from volcanic actions) it will give off carbon dioxide. Limestone will also give off carbon dioxide when heated. This can occur when limestone is heated during volcanic processes. So there are lots of places to get “greenhouse gases” other than human actions. Many scientists have been trying to balance the tons of carbon during its cycles through our atmosphere, oceans and forests for a long time and there are still a lot of questions about it. Some twenty thousand scientists have signed a petition to point out that there are still lots of unanswered questions on this topic but science is not about consensus it is about facts and the jury is still out on this one. Those who claim the discussion is over are not scientists; they are politicians who don’t care about facts. Google: “GLOBAL WARMING PETITION” or see: ;http://www.oism.org/pproject/s33p36.htm
Everyone believes we should conserve energy and fossil fuels. The answer on just how to do this without damaging the economy, putting poor people, who can’t afford to buy carbon credits, out of work so the rich, elite can flit around the world in jets is still a question. Let’s not jump to conclusions and just take the easy answer because it was made into a cute docudrama that won an Oscar from our Hollywood elite.
Bob