I need to explain this next blog. My fabulous husband, Paul, is a great man with strong opinions. I agree with him on this subject and I really wish he would understand that and not think that he needs to explain it to me all the time. Every commercial about "going green" will get him started on a lecture. I've tried to explain to him that it is not all bad, that protecting the environment is important and that to respect Mother Earth is a priority that all should have. I've asked him to be a "guest blogger" and share his feelings with all who are interested so here it is.
By: Paul
The Sun and sunspot activity (cycling) directly affects the Earth’s surface temperatures.
Clouds greatly affect Earth’s surface temperature. Clouds are formed by sub-atomic particles or “cosmic rays” hitting the Earth’s rising water vapor – causing water droplets to form, creating clouds. The more clouds there are – the cooler the Earth’s surface temperature is.
During periods of greater sunspot activity, more “solar winds” are created – which prevents as many cosmic rays from getting through to the Earth, resulting in fewer clouds formed and a warmer surface temperature.
Climate is controlled by clouds – which are controlled by cosmic rays – which are controlled by the Sun.
Ice core samples - these samples are taken from deeply drilled ice at the poles. All ice has tiny amounts of air trapped inside. The ice is melted and the air is captured and analyzed for CO2 (carbon dioxide) content. The layers of ice also show when the Earth was cooler and when it was warmer throughout it’s history. The temperature fluctuations and the levels of CO2 are directly related. Whenever there was a “warming period” during Earth’s history – the CO2 levels were higher following a several hundred year long “catch-up” phase. Equally, when there was a “cooling period”, the CO2 levels showed a drop several hundred years later.
CO2 is a PRODUCT of climate change, NOT the other way around. CO2 does NOT drive climate change. The oceans are the major producers of CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Due to the sheer greatness and enormity of the depth and breadth of these oceans, it takes a long time (several hundred years) for any prolonged/constant surface water temperature change to reach and affect the entire body of water down to the most extreme depths. During the “warming periods” of Earth’s history, it took several hundred years for the oceans to “catch-up” to the warming cycle. The warmer the oceans – more CO2 is released into the air. The cooler the oceans, the more CO2 is absorbed and less CO2 is in the air. CO2 levels FOLLOW global climate changes.
In the last one hundred years, temperature has slowly risen till about 1940, then it slowly dropped till about 1975 – prompting environmentalists to raise the alarm of “Global Cooling”. Some were even saying we were heading into a mini-ice age. Since 1975 – temperature has been slowly going back up. Over the past one hundred years, there has been a net temperature increase of less than 1 degree. Based on data and documented observations of the Sun – solar activity (sun spots) has been shown to DIRECTLY affect the Earth’s temperature fluctuations over the past one hundred years.
CO2 in the atmosphere makes up an extremely small percentage of total volume – at only about 0.0360 %. Man-made contributions to the total atmospheric volume of CO2 is even smaller, by far, than that.
Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. She wanted respect and recognition from other world leaders. She and those close to her decided to use her BS degree in Chemistry to her advantage. She would be the world leader with scientific literacy. She would be looked up to and considered an authority in matters of scientific importance.
Lady Thatcher began to raise the alarm of man-made “Global Warming” at every summit meeting – not only was she gaining attention from the world stage, but she had two other reasons for raising the “alarm”. Many UK government officials had an “ax to grind” with the NUM (National Union of Mineworkers). They wanted to punish the coal industry because they felt it was, in large part, due to the NUM that their political party was defeated in 1974. Lady Thatcher also wanted to increase the UK’s nuclear program – to develop nuclear weapons. The best way to accomplish both goals was to promote “Global Warming” as a real and credible threat to the Earth caused by man-made CO2 emissions.
The incidents at Three-Mile Island and at Chernobyl served to dampen the nuclear program’s momentum, so more emphasis and money was placed on research of “Global Warming” and it’s dire global consequences. Scientists and researchers were under pressure to high-light and promote the “reality” of “Global Warming”. Other countries joined in the movement. Some saw it as an opportunity to limit US growth and power.
In the US, “Global Warming” has become a Political Activist Movement. It is being used as a tool by environmentalists to achieve their goals, it is also being used by anti-capitalists and anti-globalizationalists who want to limit world growth for one reason or another. It has grown over the last several years and now there is A LOT of money tied up in it. Too many people are too deeply involved now to just let facts be facts. They want to keep this train rolling, they want to make more money (carbon taxes) – be more important (Al Gore), but at what cost?
All this hype has really prevented the poorest people in the world from developing. The third-world countries of Africa are being highly pressured and told to use solar power and wind energy to progress and move forward towards industrialization. They have their own natural resources. They have plenty of coal and oil, but this whole “Global Warming” thing has prevented them from utilizing their own resources. Instead, they are having to try to use solar and wind for electricity – which are the most expensive and inefficient forms of energy for electricity.
Too many outspoken supporters of “Global Warming” try to say that Industrial societies are destroying the world, when in reality, they are helping the world. Too often, the simple or “peasant life” is made to appear desirable and romantic – ideal, but not to those living in third-world countries where that “simple life” is killing them. It is a struggle to simply survive and these are the places that a coal fired electrical power plant would literally make a world of difference.
The current attention and effort being placed on CO2 and “man-made Global Warming” is like having a car that doesn’t run. They ignore the engine (the Sun), THAT can’t be it. They ignore the transmission (the clouds), THAT, surely can’t be the problem. They ignore the wiring (cosmic rays), THAT’S never the culprit. Hummm… it MUST have something to do with that rear passenger side wheel. That third lug nut MIGHT not be tightened to factory specifications. Yep, better spend the paycheck and a few weeks researching THAT one. Heck, the kids can miss their activities and they could stand to miss a few meals… Everyone needs to sacrifice to make sure they do everything they can to make sure IF that lug nut is the problem – they’ve done all they could to fix it.
They built a nice barrier around the car. They put up all kinds of fancy signs to alert others of their car on the road. They built a real nice mast and a sail mounted to the top of the car. They hired all kinds of folks to run tests and forecast possible outcomes. They brought in experts who had designed and built the car. BUT….Someone noticed that the transmission is in gear (so, naturally it won’t start), but they don’t want to say anything because they will REALLY be embarrassed, so they just continue to try to figure out other ways to move the car without having to try to start it.
Those people need to just get over it already! YES, it appears there has been an increase in temperature of less than ONE degree in the past one hundred years, but the Earth does that – it’s NORMAL!
