12-5-17 Climate Change and Crony Capitalism

TODAY: From our Canadian friend and longtime reader Thorpe Watson:

Trail Times   Tuesday,  December 5, 2017  A7

LETTERS & OPINIONS

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

In defense of carbon dioxide

Thorpe Watson

I heartily applaud the Trail Times for publishing the editorial cartoon entitled “Thousands of things we use everyday made from oil” (Trail Times, Nov. 22). With politicians encouraging the transition from hydrocarbon fuels to renewable energy, it is important we recognize the deprivations, if not the grinding poverty, we will have to endure in a carbon-free economy.

This energy transition is driven by the false narrative that we must fight climate change by restricting the generation of carbon dioxide (“CO2”) from hydrocarbon fuels (aka “fossil fuels” – coal, oil, and natural gas). Politicians fail to mention that Canada’s role would be meaningless simply because our share of the world’s CO2 (aka “carbon”) emissions is a meager 1.6 per cent.

Contrary to the climate-alarmist message, the benefits of adding CO2 to the atmosphere far outweigh any unproven climate risks. The sustainability of plant and animal life is critically dependent upon the availability of CO2 that is stored in the oceans and atmosphere.

Courtesy Trail Times

It is well documented that the store of CO2 in ancient times was massive compared to the current, seriously-depleted store. What happened to all the planet’s CO2?

An examination of the planet’s carbon inventory reveals that most of the planet’s CO2 was consumed to form the sedimentary rocks (e.g. limestone) found in the Earth’s crust. The CO2 available to support carbon life forms was severely reduced (99.96 per cent) to a dangerously low level (atmospheric CO2 – 0.04 per cent).

This sequestration of CO2 is an ongoing process, which has the potential to terminate the planet’s Green Period.

The planet’s carbon inventory also reveals that CO2 emissions from all reserves of hydrocarbon fuels will not materially replenish the store of CO2. Unfortunately, the atmosphere will remain CO2 impoverished (0.04 per cent to 0.05 per cent).

Inappropriately named “green” government policies must be denounced because they are anti-green (i.e. anti-CO2). These policies have the capacity to destroy our modern lifestyle and the potential to be counter-productive in sustaining life on the planet.

Thorpe Watson, PhD

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The ABOVE letter was published in the Trail Times after the deletion of a table (BELOW: Earth’s carbon inventory) and specific references thereto.

EARTH’S CARBON INVENTORY

Atmosphere (CO2 as a trace gas – 0.04%)              750 gtC*

Oceans (absorbed CO2)                                        38,000

Plants                                                                              560

Soils.                                                                            1,500

Hydrocarbon (“Fossil”) Fuels                             10,000

Sediments (limestone, etc.)                     100,000,000

*The quantities are expressed as gigatonnes (billions of tonnes) of contained carbon (gtC).

The formation of sedimentary rocks in the Earth’s crust would have involved the consumption of a massive quantity of CO2. The remaining CO2 available to support life (38,000+750 gtC) is only 0.04% of the original amount. This seriously depleted store provides us with a CO2-starved atmosphere, which will remain starved even after the consumption of all reserves of hydrocarbon fuels (10,000 gtC).

The importance of hydrocarbon fuels is depicted in the two cartoons copied below, including the one referred to in my letter. A more dramatic demonstration of oil’s importance is shown in a short video entitled “Life without oil”.

In keeping with the festive Christmas season, I would like to refer you to Mark Steyn’s humorous keynote address. He is able to provide humour even with a most depressing/distressing controversy such as ‘climate change’.

Mark Steyn vs Michael Mann, Climate Change: The Facts, Keynote 4, ICCC10

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thorpe