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Writing about the climate crisis My slow awakening to climate change Climate sceptics answered: | Mr. Perry’s response This is to try to respond to both Mr. Wright and Mr. Hartung. First, I suggest that we bring Dr. J. P. Chevriere (HP, November 2006, p.52) into this discussion also. The two main points I would like to make are: 1. The economic costs to the world to sequester enough carbon dioxide (CO2) to just hold the present concentration in the air are beyond comprehension—certainly enough to demolish the economies of most industrial countries in the world 2. There has been no scientific treatise that I have seen that I would consider to have provided scientific correlation of cause and effect. Instead, they usually conclude with phrases like “CO2 appears to cause global warming,” or CO2 is believed to cause global warming,” or even sometimes “CO2 is thought to cause global warming.” (Certainly never words to give me a firm conviction of a conclusion). When one considers the costs related as indicated in the first point, it appears to me that the world can hardly afford to make a mistake in conclusions as to whether global warming is actually occurring, (or is this just a normal heating/cooling cycle that has occurred time and again in the world’s history, and if unusual warming is occurring, what is the cause). But let us get serious about statistics. It is pretty well accepted that CO2 average concentrations in the air has risen from about 300 ppm to 350 ppm in the last ±50 years. So a rise of 0.005% over a 50 year period seems to create enormous concern in the scientific and political arenas. Now let us compare CO2 with water vapor, another known greenhouse gas. At 70°F and 40% relative humidity, the atmosphere contains approximately 1.00% (10,000 ppm) water vapor by volume. If the humidity rises to 60% at 70°F, the atmosphere contains approximately 1.5% water vapor, or a rise of approximately 0.5%. As everyone knows, humidity and temperatures fluctuate at least this much several times per day. The point is this daily fluctuation for water vapor may be 1,000 times greater than the change in CO2 concentrations during the last 50 years. So if there is global warming occurring, which is causing it? Or is it being caused by something else? Of all the discussions on global warming by the scientific community, I have never heard that any other cause for global warming (if it is occurring) has been even considered, much less investigated. Instead, they seem to start with the conclusion that global warming is caused by CO2 and go from there. I also have heard no discussion on the costs to the world comparing various actions; i.e., what the most cost effective course of action is, comparing benefits with associated costs for sequestering CO2, partially sequestering CO2 or other solutions such as converting almost entirely to nuclear energy. I think that I agree with Dr. Chevriere that many proponents of global warming caused by CO2 are being driven by a quest for research funds. Then when I read about Dr. Stephen Schneider, described as “one of the most ardent advocates of the Global Warming Theory,” and then find that 25 years ago he was a proponent of “the ice age is coming,” and that 35 years ago he said that “Temperatures do not increase in proportion to an atmospheric increase in CO2—I am sorry, but it does cause me to be skeptical (http://www.nationalcenter.org/dos7123.htm). As far as Mr. Hartung’s suggestion of a biomass sink to sequester CO2, this is an interesting concept. Of course it does bring to mind other concerns: availability of large amounts of suitable land, and availability of water—both of which are in limited supply.
Charles R. Perry, P.E. Chemical engineer | ||||
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Wingo is the project we started here on the archipelago outside Gothenburg to create a model of winning sustainable local development. You can visit wingo's website here. The website of our wind park has only just been registered. | |||||
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