Greenhouse Gas Levels at Worst Case Scenario Levels

[HoosierGuy]

With India having millions of poor plus those in China, I don't see things changing.

World emissions of carbon dioxide soar higher than experts’ worst case scenario for climate - The Washington Post

The global output of heat-trapping carbon dioxide jumped by the biggest amount on record, the U.S. Department of Energy calculated, a sign of how feeble the world’s efforts are at slowing man-made global warming.

The new figures for 2010 mean that levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate experts just four years ago.

[prisonchaplain]

I'm no expert, but along with the latest news that a former skeptic scientist now supports global warming, is other news that this scientist (Muller) did an end-run around his partner, and published the conversion findings without even consulting his partner.

The partner remains skeptical, and questions the methods used in bringing about this change of heart: Is global warming 'over'? One scientist says major study used to defend global warming theory actually shows it is no longer occurring

And then there is this: Hillsdale College - Imprimis Issue

Edited November 8, 2011 by prisonchaplain

[HoosierGuy]

Yes, take it all back to the Eocene age. I hope it happens in my life time so I can tour the jungles of Antarctica.

Godzilla Carbon Emissions in 2010 Unprecedented | Informed Comment

Tom Boden, head of the Department of Energy’s Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center in Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, is quoted by AFP: “It’s big… Our data go back to 1751, even before the Industrial Revolution. Never before have we seen a 500-million-metric-ton carbon increase in a single year.” 512 million metric tons, to be precise.

Well, if it hasn’t been done since 1751, it has never been done by human beings. The last time this happened was 55 to 40 million years ago, in the Eocene. When India went plowing into Asia and threw up the Himalayas, the impact heated up the crust and released massive amounts of carbon dioxide. That happened, likely, over a long period of time, but the effect was an increase in the average surface temperature of the earth of 4-5 degrees Celsius. Antarctica became a tropical jungle.

[john doe]

I blame George Bush and the Military/industrial complex. This would never have happened if Democrats had been in charge in Congress for the past 50 years. Now it's too late and everyone reading this today will be dead within 200 years.

[annewandering]

I am kinda thinking we will be dead sooner than that but my great great grandkds might still be around trying to keep warm.

[Traveler]

The major byproduct of fossil fuels is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide though lethal in large amounts is not a greenhouse gas. There is some carbon dioxide given off by fossil fuels but most carbon dioxide in our atmosphere comes from “living” and natural sources.

Also carbon dioxide makes up about 2% of the greenhouse gasses of our atmosphere. The single most prevalent greenhouse gas (that often varies much more that 2%) is water vapor - often showing up as clouds. Note that direct Sun light is the source of heat and that cloud cover (especially at night) is the primary means by which surface heat is maintained. Thus the greatest fluctuations in surface temperature in a 24 hour period occur in arid regions. Please note that water vapor in the atmosphere increases with heat - this is known as weather patterns. In places where surface temperature are cooler, water will condense and fall as rain - this causes a natural cooling of the surface temperature.

BTW - the two best ways to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is first - for all breathing life forms to stop breathing. Plant life requires carbon dioxide for photosynthesis - thus the second best good way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is simply to increase plant life - which is the natural result of more carbon dioxide.

The Traveler

[RipplecutBuddha]

It's all a bunch of hogwash, IMO. God created this planet for a specific purpose which involves us directly. I seriously doubt he would have set it up so we could bring things to an end before He was ready for it.

Yes, the earth is warming globally. It's been doing so since the last ice age. Look at the total volume of the atmosphere against the total human output of greenhouse gasses since the industrial revolution. We haven't done diddly/squat to the atmosphere. Volcanoes have put more greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere than mankind will ever be able to produce....and nature is still here.

The earth is not as fragile as many would have us believe. God created it to be a place for us, and he did his job. I'm not saying that we can just go crazy and pollute/deforest the world without a care. We have been given stewardship of the earth and everything on it. We will give an accounting for our actions in that regard.

I am absolutely in favor of taking care of the earth and being environmentally responsible as much as we can. However I think it ought to be done in recognition of our duty as stewards, rather than an irrational fear of destroying one of God's most complex and durable creations.