For armchair analysts who think CO2 is "just a trace gas" (global warming, ethics)

[ca_north]

A persistent claim from global warming deniers is that CO2 can't possibly affect Earth's temperature because it's "only" 0.04% of the atmosphere, boosted from 0.03% by Man since the industrial age began. On the surface that has an air of plausibility, but it takes only casual research to see why that's a layman's mistake.

Quoting from NASA - Carbon Dioxide Controls Earth's Temperature

"...Carbon dioxide accounts for about 20 percent of the greenhouse effect, water vapor and clouds together account for 75 percent, and minor gases and aerosols make up the remaining five percent. However, it is the 25 percent non-condensing greenhouse gas component, which includes carbon dioxide, that is the key factor in sustaining Earth’s greenhouse effect. By this accounting, carbon dioxide is responsible for 80 percent of the radiative forcing that sustains the Earth’s greenhouse effect."

I got to thinking about this after watching news of those Colorado wildfires, which climate change must surely be part of. This fundamental fact about the power of CO2 to control Earth's climate seems under-reported, so here's my attempt to improve the situation.

It also follows that the entire Greenhouse Effect is held steady by that same "trace" amount of CO2, which begs the question of whether deniers think no CO2 in the atmosphere would not make the Earth any colder (you can't have it both ways if you claim 0.04% CO2 is trivial). Of course, the total absence of CO2 would make the Earth too cold to be livable for most species. That info is also easy to find.

[Kracer]

""Our climate modeling simulation should be viewed as an experiment in atmospheric physics, illustrating a cause and effect problem which allowed us to gain a better understanding of the working mechanics of Earth’s greenhouse effect, and enabled us to demonstrate the direct relationship that exists between rising atmospheric carbon dioxide and rising global temperature," Lacis said."

Many yet to be discovered relationships.

The problem is egocentric self appointed god syndrome.

Mucking with CO2 to the extent where one hopes to balance the earth's temperature is the stuff of fantasy. consider all the critical relationships that balance CO2 that no one has yet discovered.

Humans have screwed up so much of nature's balance trying to do good what makes you think they have it right this time?

So they figured out a relationship, that in no way should constitute a call for critical action other than to respect the earth by wise use of its resources.

The gestapo call to arms is all about giving PhD candidates careers based on government grants created to make private sector/political supporters who invest in green industries wealthier. CO2 as a pollutant is fine in the realm of working scientific theory but its not ok when it surfaces as legislation.

This is the equivalent of God handing you manual control of what the autonomic nervous system was designed to do. Good luck with that!

When you can't even balance predator prey relationships on an island and have a legion of documented stories of those natural disasters created by government or private inteference. What evidence exists that humans are going to be successful in controlling the earth's atmosphere even if all countries acted in concert?

It is the celestial dance of the planets that has created conditions of gravity, atmosphere, temperature and light that exist on earth. All living things whether they be mice, elephants, dandelions or humans have to eveolve to meet those requirements as if in an orchestra being led by a single conductor. Natural fluctuations over which man has no control will determined if we can adapt quick enough to exist for a moment in an eddy on the river of change.

It is incomprehensible that the human ego has remained intact and enlarged, despite the poor track record that is our history. It is good to strive but I'm afraid power and money and lack of evolved ethics have brought us legislated human caused global warming.

[GregW]

Based on Kracer's wisdom I am simply going to live out the remainder of my life without any concern for climate what so ever beyond what it does to me. Go ahaed and burn all the coal and oil. Ignore nuclear power. Make the globe warmer or make it cooler. It matters not to me.

[hawkeye2009]

Originally Posted by ca_north

A persistent claim from global warming deniers is that CO2 can't possibly affect Earth's temperature because it's "only" 0.04% of the atmosphere, boosted from 0.03% by Man since the industrial age began. On the surface that has an air of plausibility, but it takes only casual research to see why that's a layman's mistake.

Quoting from NASA - Carbon Dioxide Controls Earth's Temperature

"...Carbon dioxide accounts for about 20 percent of the greenhouse effect, water vapor and clouds together account for 75 percent, and minor gases and aerosols make up the remaining five percent. However, it is the 25 percent non-condensing greenhouse gas component, which includes carbon dioxide, that is the key factor in sustaining Earth’s greenhouse effect. By this accounting, carbon dioxide is responsible for 80 percent of the radiative forcing that sustains the Earth’s greenhouse effect."

I got to thinking about this after watching news of those Colorado wildfires, which climate change must surely be part of. This fundamental fact about the power of CO2 to control Earth's climate seems under-reported, so here's my attempt to improve the situation.

It also follows that the entire Greenhouse Effect is held steady by that same "trace" amount of CO2, which begs the question of whether deniers think no CO2 in the atmosphere would not make the Earth any colder (you can't have it both ways if you claim 0.04% CO2 is trivial). Of course, the total absence of CO2 would make the Earth too cold to be livable for most species. That info is also easy to find.

You needed to take more chemistry, math and physics in college.