In reply to a friend who doesnt think CO2 is a problem (hes got stock in big coal and a LOT OF IT). Its not the current administration hyperventilating about the CO2. Theyre simply reacting to people like me who want them to clean up our environment. Politicians typically should respond to pressure from the majority of the people they represent. So, when you try to insult them, you try to insult me. Also, if you think youre insulting Obamas administration for not even locking the front door right, you may not be aware of the previous 35 breaches under several different Presidents. For this recent one under Obama, I personally feel it could be an intentional slight by an insider who doesnt like our First Family and could care less if harm befalls them. I take issue with your numbers and what constitutes greenhouse gasses that contribute to global warming and wonder what your source is. Sounds like a sound bite from Rush Limbaugh or one of the other entertainers of the conservative tea party. The EPA sorts it out pretty well here, and makes it clear that CO2 is 82% of the greenhouse gasses contributing to climate change. Methane is just 8% which refutes your claim that its an even bigger villain, and then another 6% to Nitrous Oxide and 3% to Flourinated Gasses make up the balance. epa.gov/.../ghgemissions/usinventoryreport.html Where does anyone say they want to shut down coal fired power plants? This tidbit was about asking Governor Snyder to support the EPAs curb on the use of coal. When mining coal, it produces high amounts of methane, which might be a reason there are mine explosions, and also supports your ill-placed concern that methane has far more impact than CO2 in contributing to greenhouse gasses. In spite of the fact Coal-fired power plants emit about 2 billion tons of CO2 annually. Natural gas power plants, which make about one-fifth of the countrys electricity, emit 400 million tons. what I read about most often is a desire to start going green. The more green, the happier the planet, the healthier the people. The healthier the people, the lower the health care costs. Why would anyone argue against that? What I hear you saying is that water vapor doesnt contribute to COPD, Asthma and isnt poisonous to living things. But I also know that water vapor is water. An article that helps sort out your suggestion that water vapor is the biggest proponent of greenhouse gasses: The Earths surface temperature would be about 34°C (61°F) colder than it is now if it were not for the natural heat trapping effect of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor. Indeed, water vapor is the most abundant and important of these naturally occurring greenhouse gases. In addition to its direct effect as a greenhouse gas, clouds formed from atmospheric water vapor also affect the heat balance of the Earth by reflecting sunlight (a cooling effect), and trapping infrared radiation (a heating effect). However, just because water vapor is the most important gas in creating the natural greenhouse effect does not mean that human-made greenhouse gases are unimportant. Over the past ten thousand years, the amounts of the various greenhouse gases in the Earths atmosphere remained relatively stable until a few centuries ago, when the concentrations of many of these gases began to increase due to industrialization, increasing demand for energy, rising population, and changing land use and human settlement patterns. Accumulations of most of the human-made greenhouse gases are expected to continue to increase, so that, over the next 50 to 100 years, without control measures, they will produce a heat-trapping effect equivalent to more than a doubling of the pre-industrial carbon dioxide level. Increasing amounts of human-made greenhouse gases would lead to an increase in the globally averaged surface temperature. However, as the temperature increases, other aspects of the climate will alter, including the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. While human activities do not directly add significant amounts of water vapor to the atmosphere, warmer air contains more water vapor. Since water vapor is itself a greenhouse gas, global warming will be further enhanced by the increased amounts of water vapor. This sort of indirect effect is called a positive feedback. It has been suggested that as greenhouse gases accumulate, the atmospheric events that generate cumulus clouds in tropical areas would cause a drying rather than moistening of the upper layers of the troposphere (the lowest region of the atmosphere). However, observations of the current atmosphere provide evidence for the conclusion that on a global scale, a warmed atmosphere will moisten and this will enhance greenhouse warming. Clouds are another important factor in determining climate. The increased levels of water vapor in the atmosphere, as well as changes in temperatures and winds, will also cause changes in clouds that will alter the amount of energy from the sun that is absorbed and reflected by the Earth, at some locations enhancing and at others diminishing the warming due to greenhouse gases. The response of clouds to global warming is a major uncertainty in determining the magnitude and distribution of climate change. I also understand that you are saying that reducing CO2 wont hurt our environment. So why dont they simply make the necessary arrangements to do that (naturally it will take time to convert our energy grids)? I understand theyve invested $13 Million in a 3.3 stretch of light rail for the City of Detroit, which is a bankrupt ghost town, more or less, with two mass transit systems already in place. Why not put that money back into green energy owned by the Taxpayers? Lets stop wasting money on things that are absolutely worthless and put them into things that will clean up our environment. It wont hurt a thing to clean up our environment, for sure, and to rebuild our forest and change the way we farm too will be beneficial as well. Why dont we choose to do all of it?
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 13:56:22 +0000
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