1)Did you know that the United States makes up only 5% of the world's population, yet we produce 25% of the carbon dioxide that is released into our atmosphere worldwide?
2)Did you know that over 1 billion people live in China and that they are having a very hard time keeping up with current demands for energy? Their plan to alleviate their energy crises is to bring into operation ONE coal burning power plant PER WEEK , yes, every week, for the next seven years? That comes to THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR (364) new carbon dioxide-producing power plants.
3)The European Government is sponsoring an experimental under water storage bladder that contains liquid carbon dioxide, a major by-product of the harvesting of natural gas. As the gas is extracted from pockets under the ocean it goes through a new process which separates a majority of the carbon dioxide from the gas and turns it into a liquid form to prevent it from entering our atmosphere. The liquid is than stored in a plastic bladder bag 300 feet below the surface of the ocean. This one gas rig is capable of producing up to 3000 pounds of by-product every DAY. Sounds great, right? Here is the problem... THEY DON'T KNOW IF THE BAG WILL LEAK!!! Furthermore, the consequences of a rapid mass expulsion of liquid carbon dioxide on our environment is completely unknown!!!
Share this knowledge...my next bulletin will tell you why you should care..
To the first statement...volcanoes have and always will make way more carbon dioxide than humans are even possible of producing. The earth is going through a cycle, like it has always done. If you look back in time[ex. ice age] extreme climate changes have always occurred on this planet.
Jennie.
jennie, it is not true that volcanoes emit more CO2 than humans. In fact, if you look graphically on a plot of CO2 vs. time, one hardly can see a change in CO2 concentration after an eruption. Can you see where the few volcanic eruptions here were?
http://www.globalwarmingart.com/images/thumb/8/88/Mauna_Loa_Carbon_Dioxi...
CO2 concentration is set by a balance between sources and sinks--and the concentration has not gone outside the range of a few parts per million since the last ice age. CO2 has now risen much higher than anytime in at least 800,000 years, and likely millions. What's more, the rise is at a much faster rate than glacial-interglacial variability. Isotopic measurements confirm that the "extra" CO2 is from us (i.e., the 100 ppm rise since pre-industrial time)
http://www.pewclimate.org/docUploads/images/vostok-ice-core_013107_06255...
We know CO2 can change temperature, and is effective in doing so. We also know today's warming trend is outside the range of the noise of natural variability, and carries a clear "greenhouse fingerprint"
http://www.progressiveu.org/130946-scientific-basis-anthropogenic-climat...
Er ...
Actually human CO2 emissions are over 150 times greater than those from volcanoes.
And no naturally occuring global warming event has occurred at the rate this one is presently occurring.
Cheers,
DB
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If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. - Anatole France
You may in fact be correct Jenny ( I will have to look this up...), But never before has the human element been figured into the equation. The impact of human consumption and emissions is still another page in the book.
upon further investigation I have discovered that if a volcanic eruption emmited more co2 into the atmosphere then humans, there would be dramatic spikes in the rise
of co2 levels corresponding with each individual volcanic eruption. instead all of the charts and information that I have been able to locate indicate quite the opposite. There are no dramatic spikes corresponding with any eruptions in the last 50 years , just a study uphill climb.
The fact of the matter is, the sum total of all CO2 out-gassed by active volcanoes amounts to about 1/150th of anthropogenic emissions.