If any United Nations figurehead yelled Fire! in a theater I was attending, I would sit and watch the rest of the movie. After hammering the “Global Warming” theme for 30 years, the UN has a new report blaming humans for a pending extinction of one million animal and plant species.
The 1,000-page report was issued at a meeting of conservation scientists in Paris. It seems the needs of a growing population are crowding out the natural support needed for the survival of a million species of plants and animals.
Do you believe it? Before you make up your mind, take a look at “global warming.” From Quora.com, I get around 10 questions a day on the subject, from people who don’t know what to believe. Here is my stock answer:
As a degreed civil engineer and 40-year environmental professional, I have examined the facts surrounding man-made climate change and must conclude that:
- Carbon Dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere has no measurable effect on planet temperatures. Proponents of man-made climate change (MMCC) pointed to elevated CO2 levels in the atmosphere during warm periods when examining ice core samples as proof of their theory. Closer examination of those samples showed that the elevated concentrations in the atmosphere occurred at the end of the warm period making it an effect, not a cause. When temperatures are elevated, oceans give up their CO2 to the atmosphere. Something else caused the warming.
- 400 ppm CO2 is supposed to be close to a point of no return. This is the mathematical equivalent of one part in 2500 parts. Specific heat of carbon dioxide is roughly only twice that of other atmospheric constituents. Causing a measurable temperature increase would be like powering the lights of a major sports stadium through a single household extension cord. For those who avoided high school physics, specific heat is the amount of heat energy in BTUs or calories required to raise the temperature of a substance one degree. A specific heat twice the other air components would have enough heat energy to raise the other 2499 molecules 2/2499 multiplied by the temperature differential.
- The apparent agent of planet temperature change is sun spot activity. The Maunder Minimum, a 200-year period of almost no sun spot activity, is associated with the Little Ice Age which ended in 1849. It has been gradually warming since and is still not as warm as the Medieval Warm Period which saw orchards in Greenland.
Ignorance of things environmental is as pervasive as the environment itself. When self-designated keepers of all things clean characterize humans as filthy animals spewing garbage in the wake of their existence, by implication, “deniers” are lumped into that category.
In truth, maintenance of clean air and drinkable water has been going on 24/7 for hundreds of years by professionals you never heard of. It is currently a $250 billion market place. People who perform this service are not to be confused with environmental lobbies like Greenpeace, Sierra Club and others whose sole function is pursuing grant money with a portion kicked back to sponsors of these opportunities in the form of campaign contributions.
Examination of “C” level bios at the web sites of 65 of these organizations turned up less than a half dozen BS or MS degrees, with the bulk of the backgrounds being lawyers and community organizers. None of them have produced a single cup of drinking water.
When you hear the word environment used, you must be discerning about the subject matter. Environment is literally as big as all outdoors. With regard to the UN’s latest dagger pointed at our standard of living, sit back and enjoy the rest of the movie.
