Tag: carbon dioxide

[def from Wikipedia.]  Carbon dioxide (chemical formula CO2) is a colorless and odorless gas that is vital to life on Earth. This naturally occurring chemical compound is made up of a carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. Carbon dioxide exists in Earth’s atmosphere as a trace gas at a concentration of about 0.04 percent (400 ppm) by volume.[3] Natural sources include volcanoes, hot springs and geysers, and it is freed from carbonate rocks by dissolution in water and acids. Because carbon dioxide is soluble in water, it occurs naturally in groundwater, rivers and lakes, in ice caps and glaciers and also in seawater. It is present in deposits of petroleum and natural gas.

[added comments] While carbon dioxide is a “greenhouse” gas and it does absorb energy in some infrared wavelength bands, many scientists will argue that its affect on average global temperatures have been considerably exaggerated by the proponents of catastrophic anthropogenic global warming.  In order to derive effects extreme enough to be considered catastrophic, they have had to rely on strong positive feedback resulting in much larger effects than CO2 could produce without any feedbacks.  Many prestigious scientists disagree with that and some even suspect the feedback is not only much less than estimated, but may even be negative.

One must always consider that contrary to that which is frequently stated by climate activists/alarmists, the debate is never over in science.

The Imaginary Climate Crisis – How can we Change the Message?

Richard S. Lindzen
Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences, MIT

[This essay is a slightly extended version of a lecture delivered to a joint zoom meeting of the Irish Climate Science Forum and CLINTEL on March 31, 2021.]

For about 33 years, many of us have been battling against climate hysteria. We have correctly noted

The exaggerated sensitivity,

The role of other processes and natural internal variability,

Image by Pixabay

The inconsistency with the paleoclimate record,

The absence of evidence for increased extremes, droughts, floods, wild-fires, and so on.

We have also pointed out the very real benefits of CO2 and even of modest warming.  And, as concerns government policies, we have been pretty ineffective.  Indeed our efforts have done little other than to show (incorrectly) that we take the threat scenario seriously.  In this talk, I want to make a tentative analysis of our failure.

In punching away at the clear shortcomings of the narrative of climate Continue reading “The Imaginary Climate Crisis – How can we Change the Message?”

Comments on GeoEngineering Watch’s Video, “The Dimming”

Robert W. Endlich
Image by Pixabay

Over the past several years I’ve been asked to comment on the notion that there is on-going an active, presumably by the US Government, classified program to use emissions from airborne aircraft to cut down on sunlight arriving at the Earth’s surface for nefarious purposes.  The group promulgating this topic is GeoEngineering Watch.  They call the supposedly nefarious emissions “Chemtrails.”

Several years ago, in my research on the plausibility of the existence of “Chemtrails,” I gathered photographic images and provided preliminary Continue reading “Comments on GeoEngineering Watch’s Video, “The Dimming””

Explaining Mauna Loa CO2 Increases with Anthropogenic and Natural Influences

by Roy W. Spencer, Ph. D.  

[This post first appeared on Dr. Spencer’s web site (here) on 9 April 2022.  We have reproduced it on our web site for the purpose of education and discussion under the fair use doctrine. Ed.]

Summary
Image by Pixabay

The proper way of looking for causal relationships between time series data (e.g. between atmospheric CO2 and temperature) is discussed. While statistical analysis alone is unlikely to provide “proof” of causation, use of the ‘master equation’ is shown to avoid common pitfalls.  Correlation analysis of natural and anthropogenic forcings with year-on-year changes in Mauna Loa CO2 suggest a role for increasing global temperature at least partially explaining observed changes in CO2, but purely statistical analysis cannot tie down the magnitude. One statistically-based model using anthropogenic and natural forcings suggests ~15% of the rise in CO2 being due to natural factors with an excellent match between model and observations for COVID-19 related downturn in global economic activity in 2020.

Introduction

The record of atmospheric CO2 concentration at Mauna Loa, Hawaii since 1959 is the longest continuous record we have of actual (not inferred) Continue reading “Explaining Mauna Loa CO2 Increases with Anthropogenic and Natural Influences”

CRITIQUE of the June 2021 AARP Bulletin: “Climate Change and You”

Robert W. Endlich

A few months ago, I picked up the June 2021 issue of the AARP BULLETIN. What greeted me was inch-high letters blaring the title of their feature article: “CLIMATE CHANGE AND YOU; Extreme Weather Is Affecting Older Americans’ Daily Life…”

On the front cover, four huge images, vivid color photos: white-shirted man on rooftop looking into a wildfire in southern California, flood victims of Hurricane Florence in an overloaded boat in South Carolina, woman in jeans and white shirt in Mississippi assessing damage after Hurricane Katrina, and a view of slushy streets in Texas, February 2021.

 

Figure 1. Screenshot of the AARP BULLETIN’s front cover graphics for the feature article, ”What You Need to Know About Climate Change.” The authors don’t know it but, what they are really describing is wild weather, part of the climate we have. AARP’s ignorance starts right here, with this cover graphic.

The photos are dramatic, of course, classic emotional appeals by the media. But I thought,

“Is AARP subliminally trying to tell us that wildfires are new Continue reading “CRITIQUE of the June 2021 AARP Bulletin: “Climate Change and You””

Post-Hurricane Ida’s deadly rain event in New York City

Natural Rainfall, Excessive Runoff, and Lousy Drainage, Not Human-Caused CO2-fueled Global Warming 

By Robert W. Endlich
FLOODING IN NEW YORK CITY

As the remnants of what, days before, had been Hurricane Ida passed by the New York City Metro area the evening of 1 Sep 2021, the skies opened up and in spots it poured, as an anticipated heavy rain event crossed the region near sunset.  Thunderstorms, fed by water vapor evaporating from

Image by Pixabay

historically the warmest waters of the year offshore, in New York Bay and the nearby Atlantic Ocean, even brought some tornadoes as the unstable air was made even more unstable by convergence of the air at the surface. Overwater winds came onshore to terrain filled with high-rise apartments and skyscrapers built to enable the highest numbers of humans to live and work in the New York City Metropolitan Area, home to over 8 million souls, Continue reading “Post-Hurricane Ida’s deadly rain event in New York City”