Re: Climate change hoax is falling apart
Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2023 4:46 pm
The only hoax is from people who argue it isn't happening.
There are three key parts to the hypothesis:
The first part was discovered by the Nobel-winning scientist Svante Arrhenius in 1896. He showed that atmospheric carbon dioxide plays a key role in regulating the atmospheric temperature: more atmospheric CO2, higher temperatures. He established this using basic principles of physical chemistry that are still taught in university today.
The second part has to do with direct observations that the level of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing. From about 316 parts per million in 1959 to about 418 parts per million in 2022. (Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/109 ... -historic/ ).
The third part is about where that additional CO2 came from. The obvious suspect is burning fossil fuels, just by the sheer quantity of CO2. But also because of the particular isotopes of carbon being found in atmospheric CO2 (lots of carbon-12, very little carbon-14, relatively less carbon-13) points to fossil fuels as well. (Source and fuller explanation: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/c ... sed-humans ).
I think you can have a debate about how quickly things will change, and to a lesser extent on how large those changes could be. You can't squeeze your eyes shut and pretend it isn't happening, though. Unless you can tell me how any of the above three points are wrong. And for them to be wrong they have to be very wrong, and our understanding of physics and chemistry also have to be very wrong. I don't think they are wrong.
There are three key parts to the hypothesis:
The first part was discovered by the Nobel-winning scientist Svante Arrhenius in 1896. He showed that atmospheric carbon dioxide plays a key role in regulating the atmospheric temperature: more atmospheric CO2, higher temperatures. He established this using basic principles of physical chemistry that are still taught in university today.
The second part has to do with direct observations that the level of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing. From about 316 parts per million in 1959 to about 418 parts per million in 2022. (Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/109 ... -historic/ ).
The third part is about where that additional CO2 came from. The obvious suspect is burning fossil fuels, just by the sheer quantity of CO2. But also because of the particular isotopes of carbon being found in atmospheric CO2 (lots of carbon-12, very little carbon-14, relatively less carbon-13) points to fossil fuels as well. (Source and fuller explanation: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/c ... sed-humans ).
I think you can have a debate about how quickly things will change, and to a lesser extent on how large those changes could be. You can't squeeze your eyes shut and pretend it isn't happening, though. Unless you can tell me how any of the above three points are wrong. And for them to be wrong they have to be very wrong, and our understanding of physics and chemistry also have to be very wrong. I don't think they are wrong.