Dissenting Climate Change Opinions

Another thoughtful and well-expressed letter to the editor.
Morning Star newspaper, Wednesday, November 27th, 2019 by K. Jameson, of Vernon.


"This letter is in response to yet another round of Morning Star letters on climate change that say it's our fault, who is responsible (Boomers), and what we should do about it.  Oh yes, and also about Greta Thunbert (sigh).  It boggles the mind that society can even have this conversation.

We have 150 years of hard science that shows it is impossible for CO2 to create climate change.  We've known that for 150 years, ever since Melvill discovered absorption/emission spectrums back in 1752.

All this has been routinely taught in university science courses for a hundred years or more.

"...there is no mechanism for CO2 or H20

 to trap heat like a blanket around the Earth.

  It is impossible for them to store heat, period."

The main point is that all gases (like everything else in the universe) must absorb or emit head (radiation) to reach thermal equilibrium with everything around them.  Here's a simple and scientifically accurate example using coffee and your microwave.

Your coffee contains H20 water.  The cavity in your microwave is tuned like a radio to the rotational energy levels of H20 molecules.  That's so the microwaves can efficiently zap the H20 molecules and make them spin faster.  (Hotter molecules spin fast; colder molecules spin slower.  Frozen ice molecules spin even slower).

It's the same with CO2 molecules in the sky.  Zap them with some heat (radiation) from the Earth's surface or from the sun, and they start spinning faster.  

Out of the microwave, your coffee immediately starts cooling down (striving for thermal equilibrium with the air around it).  Ditto for CO2 (and for H20 water vapor, and for everything else in the universe).  Hot things cool down by radiating energy.  Cold things warm up to reach equilibrium.  The zapped, spinning CO2 molecule immediately tries to radiate the heat away so that it can go back to spinning at a normal speed.

Measurements show it takes about 75 feet of CO2 to completely absorb (block) radiation in their absorption bands that are incoming (from the sun) or outgoing (from the Earth).  Double the CO2 concentration, and it would take 12 metres or 30 feet instead.

I emphasize there is no mechanism for CO2 or H20 to trap heat like a blanket around the Earth.  It is impossible for them to store heat, period.  All they can do is temporarily block radiation in both directions and re-radiate it in both directions.

It is impossible for CO2 and H20 top trap heat and cause climate change.  Then, what does?  What's really happening with our climate?

So far, my impression is that students and people and politicians and newspapers would rather not learn about the simple truths about CO2 that I have tried to explain above.  I suppose they all have their reasons.

K. Jameson, Vernon"


Oh...so NASA could've provided an explanation, rather than just this graphic (click on graphic to enlarge):

The very interesting NASA blog is here.

A big thanks to K. Jameson, for his letter.

Another Response to Climate Change

...and another good one at that.

This letter to the editor of The Vernon Morning Star is from John Trainer, published July 5, 2019, entitled "Climate Indoctrination".

"The clever entertainment series Westworld strikes the imagination with the fantasy of choosing which historical civilization you would like to live in:  Greek, Roman, Wild West.  
How about neolithic cave man?

Other than a brief glimpse at what it looks like, I doubt many of us would voluntarily give up today's comforts for a cold, dark and smokey cave.

That may not include letter writer Jim Miles who recently proposed the collapse of the world-wide economy in order to, you guessed it, save the world.  Tell that to the billions in China, India and Africa who would switch places with us in a heartbeat.

Mr. Miles reminds me of the fellow who stands on the corner with a sign claiming the world will end tomorrow then shows up the next day with the same sign.

"CO2 is not a pollutant,

 it is a main building block

 of life and the world's

 major greenhouse gas

 is water vapor."

John Trainor             

Mr. Miles was writing to complain about a previous letter which questioned teachers letting young students out of school to protest the climate.  What are these kids being told that would scare them enough to believe that three billion years of climate change is suddenly so bad that they worry about the end of the world?

Are they not being taught that Vikings grew wheat in Greenland in 1100 AD or that much of North America was under a kilometre of ice 15 thousand years ago?

What incredible pre-civilization climate change occurred to make that ice disappear?  Is that not relevant in today's discussions?

The reality is that our education system has become so politicized that environmentalism has no room for facts.

"Are (students) not being taught that

 Vikings grew wheat in Greenland in 1100 AD

 or that much of North America was

 under a kilometre of ice

 15 thousand years ago?

What incredible pre-civilization

 climate change occurred

 to make that ice disappear?"

 John Trainor                   

CO2 is not a pollutant, it is a main building block of life and the world's major greenhouse gas is water vapor.

How on earth are future generations going to enjoy their three score and twenty if the siren call of environmentalism convinces them to welcome another ice age?

John Trainor

Follow-up to blog story.
More reading:  Science of the Earth, Climate and Energy,  Cole, Lueking, Goodstein.

Carbon tax is a boon to governments....millions of dollars pocketed from taxpayers...for nefarious reasons!

"Have you ever seen a new tax cancelled by government(s)?," Kia would've asked.

Nope.

Climate Change Response

This letter to the editor of the Morning Star was published June 26, 2019:

"It was nice to read Kieran Greandbois' letter (Students Rally for Climate Justice, Vernon Morning Star May 29) about the not so wonderful experiences interacting with the public over the student campaign for climate change response action.

"...argument for why

 it is impossible

 for man-made CO2 to be a

 significant factor in climate change."

It seems like a thoughtful and calm letter that recounted various instances of flip offs, name calling and knee-jerk reactions on the part of the public.

Among other points, he stated that "not one of the commenters has been able to back up their ridiculous claims with an unbiased scientific source."

In response, I volunteer to discuss the topic with him and the group in a respectful manner and to provide a credible, and essentially unassailable, mainstream scientific argument for why it is impossible for man-made CO2 to be a significant factor in climate change.

"...H2O water vapor has a

 much higher fractional content,

...has many thousands of times more

 greenhouse impact, and is responsible for

70 to 95 per cent of the greenhouse effect."

CO2 is only a trace gas in the atmosphere (0.000400 by fractional content), has a very limited width absorption spectrum, and has no significant greenhouse effect.

In contrast, H2O water vapor has a much higher fractional content (it varies with humidity), has a much wider absorption spectrum, has many thousands of times more greenhouse impact, and is responsible for 70 to 95 percent of the greenhouse effect on any particular day.

If Kieran wold like a small public venue for a meeting, I encourage him (and anyone else) to look up and join the new Vernon Planetary Reality group on Meetingup.com.

It's a friendly venue for inquiring about and discussing evidence for a variety of topics.

Alternatively, I volunteer to meet with the group in some other venue and take the time to provide useful information.

It is certain that world-wide climate change is happening.  It's hard to not agree with that after examining the worldwide floods, crop losses, and increased seismic activities in recent years.  It's a very serious topic because it affects the world food supply.

For example, many countries around the world have suffered 40 to 50 per cent crop losses because of weather in the past two years.

Climate change is not because of you.  It's not because of CO2.  It's because of the sun.

The real cause is the grand solar minimum that the earth is currently entering at the end of solar cycle 24.  There are many scientific measurements and reasons behind that statement.

Hopefully, Kieran and his group will take me up on my positive offer of time and science."

K. Jameson



(Blog note:  no website link is available for the Vernon Planetary Reality Group)

Professor Plimer versus the Prius

...and Professor Plimer wins with this compelling summation on Carbon Dioxide's presence in our atmosphere.

Plimer:  "...here's the bombshell.  The volcanic eruption in Iceland.  Since its first spewing of volcanic ash has, in just four days, negated every single effort you have made in the past 5 years to control CO2 emissions on our planet...all of you.

Of course, you know about this evil carbon dioxide that we are trying to suppress -- it's that vital chemical compound that every plant requires to live and grow and to synthesize into oxygen for us humans and all animal life.

I know...it's very disheartening to realize that all of the carbon emission savings you have accomplished while suffering the inconvenience and expense of driving Prius hybrids, buying fabric grocery bags, sitting up till midnight to finish your kids "The Green Revolution" science project, throwing out all of your non-green cleaning supplies, using only two squares of toilet paper, putting a brick in your toilet tank reservoir, selling your SUV and speedboat, vacationing at home instead of abroad, nearly getting hit every day on your bicycle, replacing all of your 50 cent light bulbs with $10 light bulbs...well, all of those things you have done have all gone down the tube in just four days.

The volcanic ash emitted into the Earth's atmosphere in just four days -- yes, FOUR DAYS -- by that volcano in Iceland (Eyjafjallajökull) has totally erased every single effort you have made to reduce the evil beast, carbon.  And there are around 200 active volcanoes on the planet spewing out this crud at any one time -- every day.

I don't really want to rain on your parade too much, but I should mention that when the volcano Mt. Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991, it spewed out more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than the entire human race had emitted in all its years on earth.

Yes folks, Mt. Pinatubo was active for over one year -- think about it.

Of course, I shouldn't spoil this 'touchy-feely tree-hugging' moment and mention the effect of solar and cosmic activity and the well-recognized 800-year global heating and cooling cycle, which keeps happening despite our completely insignificant efforts to affect climate change.  

And I do wish I had a silver lining to this volcanic ash cloud, but the fact of the matter is that the bush fire season across the western USA and Australia this year alone will negate your efforts to reduce carbon in our world for the next two to three years.  And it happens every year.

Just remember that your government just tried to (or has) impose(d) a whopping carbon tax on you, on the basis of the bogus 'human-caused' climate-change scenario.

Hey, isn't it interesting how they sometimes don't mention 'Global Warming' anymore, but just 'Climate Change' - you know why?  

It's because the planet has cooled by 0.7 degrees in the past century and these global warming bull artists got caught with their pants down.

And, just keep in mind that you might yet have an Emissions Trading Scheme -- that whopping new tax -- imposed on you that will achieve absolutely NOTHING except make you poorer.  

It won't stop any volcanoes from erupting, that's for sure.
And your 'leaders' and 'experts' will NOT care for you to tell them any of this."

Ian Rutherford Plimer is an Australian geologist, professor emeritus of earth sciences at the University of Melbourne, professor of mining technology at the University of Adelaide, and the director of multiple mineral exploration and mining companies.  He has published 130 scientific papers, six books and edited the Encyclopedia of Geology.  Notable awards:  Eureka Prize (1995, 2002); Centenary Medal (2003), Clarke Medal (2004).

"He didn't even mention Mt. St. Helens," offers Kia, "or the Kelowna fires."

...wonder what the BC Government is doing with the Carbon Tax payments.  Never mind...we know...just more gouging of residents.  And wasting the money.