Global Warming? I don't know what to believe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rockgremlin
But if emissions have been flat over the last three years, how can CO2 continue to accumulate? Are the natural carbon sinks not absorbing CO2 quickly enough? What's going on here?
So we all know that burning fossil fuels creates CO2. Vegetation or anything that uses photosynthesis turns this CO2 into glucose (sugar/energy for the plant) followed by the releasing of Oxygen into the air that we breathe (although we technically breath approx 77% nitrogen, 12% oxygen, and 1% argon).
With the seasons throughout the year, one could say that the Earth "breathes". The world's CO2 levels significantly drop in the spring (as vegetation grows) and exhales in the fall (as the leaves fall off).
What is happening with these burning of fossils fuels is that we are releasing excess CO2 which nature can't and doesn't keep up with. Therefore that CO2 remains in the atmosphere expounding the greenhouse effect.
The planet Venus is quite hot, but not due to its proximity to the sun. The clouds on Venus and its atmosphere is nearly all CO2. Most of the solar rays, or "insolation", doesn't even hit the surface because it is reflected back into space due to Venus's atmosphere.
The worry is that Earth will become like Venus if CO2 increases and isn't controlled.
The worry with climate change/global warming is that these greenhouse gases (primarily CO2) are enhancing global warming (greenhouse effect).
Warming the earth by a few degrees has significant repercussions. And my personal belief is that, yes, us humans are expediting this process due to fossil fuel burning.
The result of global warming are: polar thawing (Greenland, Antarctica), polar ice sea melting, changes in global surface temperatures, more extreme weather, sea-level rise, and loss of habitat.
On a side-note but still relevant, at work there is this large infographic about the temperature inversion in Utah and what pollution source gets added in. Guess what the largest source of this pollutant is (and at 56%) - cars! So it's not the one-offs like stericycle or refineries that are contributing to it. Ironically they are only at 11%.
So I call BS to people who say that them switching to a Prius, for example, is not going to change the world.
With that logic, it is exactly that, a self-fulfilling prophecy. It won't because THEY refuse to change.
But those who are willing to change, willing to adopt cleaner and more earth responsible practices are slowly but steadily changing policy and minds. This is how the world will change. Even China who was horrific with emissions is starting to realize and crack down on these emission controls and has started to become more environmentally conscious. And it's slowly showing that.
Back to my point and relevance of the smog inversion problem in Salt Lake City. So, us common folk, are responsible for more than half of the pollution in the air, yet we point the finger at legislators and say "Fix It!!!!". The irony! *WE* are doing this damage to ourselves, and yet, a bunch of us refuse to change or fix our own habits and lament with the phrase "me switching to a cleaner vehicle will solve nothing".
It's a frustrating cycle as you can see. But thankfully younger generations are growing up to be more earth responsible and more environmentally conscious and not follow the examples of the older generations. We don't need to get crazy or excessive but we are becoming more aware of our human-caused problems.
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Global Warming? I don't know what to believe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
twotimer
I'm serious as I ask this...I'm not trying to troll ya. Have you personally banned campfires? Can you enjoy one when someone else fires one up?
Truthfully, yes I can. I mean it's fire. It's hot. It's feels great. Although I try to avoid the ones that are similar to your pic. :P
Is it hypocritical, sure. But just because I enjoy it, does it make it all or nothing, and therefore I shouldn't try to change?
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