Fear of Catastrophic Man-Made Global Warming. Is it justified? John A. Shanahan, Civil Engineer, B.Sc., M.Sc., Dr.Engineering Editor, allaboutenergy.net October 16, 2019 Many young people in particular in North America and Europe are very afraid that carbon dioxide from fossil fuels is causing serious global warming that will bring the “good life� to an end. See photo below. Is this fear warranted?
These students with mouths wide open, shouting words of hatred of fossil fuels. This is what American schools, global warming alarmists and the media have created. Here are other examples.
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A civil engineer is not qualified to answer the question about man-made global warming based on his profession. But this civil engineer has studied the question for twenty years and posted hundreds of articles and PowerPoint Presentations on his website: allaboutenergy.net. This essay aims to give short, clear answers with links to a few sources for everyone in the general public. It also gives links to over 560 articles about the environment, most of which are about the topic of man-made global warming. Everyone can do their own research and make up their own mind. This essay presents articles by four skeptics and four alarmists of catastrophic manmade global warming and links to over 500 more. Every student and adult can decide for themselves.
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FOUR SKEPTICS OF CATASTROPHIC MAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING: CO2 COALITION – WILL HAPPER, HOWARD CORK HAYDEN, ED BERRY, JAY LEHR “A
Primer on Carbon Dioxide and Climate” by the CO2 Coalition This coalition has 17 distinguished scientists, engineers and leaders in the energy industry. The document has 60 scientific references. Atmospheric water, H2O, as vapor and clouds, is by far the most important source of greenhouse warming of the Earth’s surface. Atmospheric CO2 also contributes to greenhouse warming but much less than H2O. Whether more CO2 will be good or bad for life on earth does not depend on the mere existence of greenhouse warming and related effects from more CO2, like changes in the pH of the oceans, and benefits to plant growth. The issue is the magnitudes of the effects. As detailed below, we are persuaded that the net effects of increasing CO2 will be very good for the world, and especially for its human population. More CO2 in the atmosphere will benefit the planet generally —and humanity in particular. Few realize that the Earth has experienced a CO2 famine for millions of years. In the past ~550 million years since the Cambrian period—when abundant fossils first appeared in the sedimentary record—CO2 levels have averaged thousands of parts per million (ppm), several times more than today’s few hundred ppm. Preindustrial CO2 levels of about 280 ppm were not much above the critical level (around 150 ppm) when many plants can die from CO2 starvation. Go to the link above and read the whole report. It is written for the educated audience and has scientific explanations.
“Global Climate” by Howard Cork Hayden, Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Connecticut Alarmists and Skeptics agree on one thing: the 500-million-year history of temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide, see slide 5. This shows that there never has been a 3
large correlation between change of atmospheric carbon dioxide and temperature. There is one correlation: When oceans warm, they release dissolved carbon dioxide. When they cool, they absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. This is the opposite of what the alarmists say. They say that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide causes increased atmospheric temperature. One is solid science. The other is alarmist claims. Slide 5 also shows the long-term trend of decreased atmospheric carbon dioxide. When it reaches less than 150 parts per million, ppm, plants can’t grow and that will be the end of life on Earth. Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was as low as 280 ppm until recently. Now it is 400 ppm. We were close to losing life on Earth. A lot of the time, Earth’s temperature was close to 22 degrees C (72 deg. F). Much less of the time has it been cool like recently - 14 degrees C (57 deg. F). What are the chances of the world getting much warmer than today and what are the chances of it getting colder? A quick glance at slide 5, taken from this source, suggests that it might get warmer naturally over very long time intervals. Slide 6 shows unequal time intervals with temperature history. Temperature is always changing. Slide 7 shows equal time intervals with CO2 concentration changes. Are these natural changes going to stop now and be controlled only by CO2 from fossil fuels? Climate change alarmists say yes and demand stopping use of fossil fuels. Slide 9 shows the most recent 400,000 years. Most of it is cold glacial periods with only short warm intervals. A return to colder weather is possible. Slide 66 states that there is no evidence from a half-billion years that CO2 has ever controlled the climate. Slide 70 says that there was no 97% consensus about man-made global warming.
“CO2 Perspective” by Ed Berry, Atmospheric Physicist Study the graph of 10,000 dots representing Earth’s atmospheric greenhouse gases on page 1. Man-made CO2 is 12 dots out of 10,000. Reducing these 12, even getting rid of all of them, will have almost no effect on Earth’s climate. But the loss of use of fossil fuels will mean that the population shrinks back to what was sustainable before their use in the 1700s. The population would drop from about eight billion to about one 4
billion, making the anti-fossil fuels campaign the worst crime against humanity ever. Some people argue that the water atmospheric greenhouse effect goes away when it rains or snows. They overlook the fact that the water greenhouse component is a continuous process of water evaporating out of the ocean into the atmosphere and condensing as rain or snow. The water greenhouse component is always there. Dr. Berry is developing a simplified physics theory showing that man-made carbon dioxide does not control the Earth’s climate. His final version will be posted on the website: allaboutenergy.net.
“The Other Side Of The Global Warming Story” by Jay Lehr, Science Advisor and Public Speaker Jay Lehr is a scientist and advisor on essential government policies for energy and water. He has a B.Sc. in Geological Engineering and Ph.D. in Groundwater Hydrology. Dr Lehr has spoken in front of thousands of audiences on topics ranging from global warming and biotechnology, to business management and health and physical fitness. The PowerPoint Presentation at the link above gives his scientific views on many aspects of the Man-Made Global Warming Debate. Here are some of his key statements. Slide 4 – The media has promoted unwarranted fear and unmitigated arrogance as to man’s impact on his climate. Slide 6 – Today’s Earth temperature is below the average for the past 5,000 years. See graph. Slide 9 – NASA has determined that while the Earth was warming in the past century, so were Mars, Pluto and Jupiter. Slide 11 – Water vapor accounts for 96% of the greenhouse effect. Slide 14 – Carbon dioxide is tiny compared to other greenhouse gases. See graph. Slide 18 – The polar bear population in North America has increased from 5,000 in 1960 to more than 25,000 today. Slide 29 - Mount Kilimanjaro lost 90% of its 14,000-year-old glacial ice over the past 100 years due to warm dry air rising up the deforested mountain even though the temperature at the summit never rose above 32 degrees F. Kilimanjaro lost glacial snow due to the influence of man, but not due to man-made global warming from use of fossil fuels.
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Slide 31 – Climate change is not a scientific problem that found political support. It is about eco-activists and politicians who found a scientific issue they feel can leverage them into power and control. Slide 38 – Climate has always changed and will continue to do so whether humanity commits economic suicide by outlawing fossil fuels or not.
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FOUR ALARMISTS ABOUT CATASTROPHIC MANMADE GLOBAL WARMING: JAMES HANSEN, JOHN HOLDREN, POPE FRANCIS, AL GORE “Our Children’s Trust” with James Hansen, Science Advisor The climate lawsuit, “Our Children’s Trust – Juliana v. U.S. is one of the most unusual lawsuits of its kind. It elevates the voice of youth to secure the legal right to a stable climate and healthy atmosphere for the benefit of all present and future generations. Their complaint asserts that, through the government's affirmative actions that cause climate change, it has violated the youngest generation’s constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property The status of this lawsuit in the Supreme Court as of August 2019 is given here. It is Jim Hansen’s climate science alarmism, a few very privileged North American youth – compared to most of the world, a few determined young American lawyers and their financial backers versus the wellbeing and prosperity of eight billion inhabitants of planet Earth.
“The Overwhelming Consensus of Climate Scientists Worldwide” by John P. Holdren, Science Advisor to President Barack Obama “Overwhelmingly, scientific evidence is telling us that: the global climate has been changing over the past several decades in a manner that is highly unusual compared to nature climatic variability; human emissions of greenhouse gases are the dominant cause of these unusual changes; these changes are already having significant adverse impacts on human wellbeing and on ecosystems; and that this harm will continue to grow unless the offending emissions are greatly reduced.” John Holdren These are wild claims. There is no proof that use of fossil fuels is causing any events in global weather or climate. There never will be. It is a vast attempt at a huge power grab. John Holdren has attempted to take control of the world’s energy uses since the 1970s by speaking and writing against fossil fuels and advanced nuclear energy. John Shanahan 7
Here is a recent photo of John Holdren at Harvard University. How many people sit like this for a photo? What could it mean?
“Climate Change A 'Principal Challenge' For Humanity” by Pope Francis Overwhelmingly, scientific evidence is telling us that: the global climate has been changing over the past several decades in a manner that is highly unusual compared to nature climatic variability; human emissions of greenhouse gases are the dominant cause of these unusual changes; these changes are already having significant adverse impacts on human wellbeing and on ecosystems; and that this harm will continue to grow unless the offending emissions are greatly reduced. Overwhelmingly, scientific evidence – including millions of measurements and observations of Earth from land, air, sea, and space – is telling us that: •
the global climate has been changing over the past several decades in a manner that is highly unusual compared to nature climatic variability;
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human emissions of greenhouse gases are the dominant cause of these unusual changes;
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these changes are already having significant adverse impacts on human wellbeing and on ecosystems; and
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that this harm will continue to grow unless the offending emissions are greatly reduced. Like John Holdren’s statements, these claims by Pope Francis would not stand up to rigorous, impartial examination. Taking fossil fuels away from eight billion people would force the world’s population to drop to what it was before use of fossil fuels – one
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billion. The “doing away with” seven billion people would be by far the greatest crime against humanity, ever. John Shanahan
An Inconvenient Sequel’ by Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States Eleven years after the release of 2006’s “An Inconvenient Truth” comes “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.” Gore, by virtue of his status as a former vice president of the United States and by the passionate nature of his advocacy, is arguably the most universally recognizable champion of the climate-change cause. As such, he’s variously respected and reviled. As was the case with “An Inconvenient Truth,” he’s shown presenting his famous slideshow depicting the effects of rising seas and climbing worldwide temperatures, and explaining how greenhouse gases cause those phenomena. James Hansen, John Holdren, Pope Francis and Al Gore all lack solid proof that use of fossil fuels is the cause of the events they describe. They are just wild claims to gain control over the world economies and human population. No dictator or brutal conqueror throughout history tried to accomplish this much of a power grab as these four people are attempting to do. Good thing that the climate is within past bounds and it still can be a beautiful world. Fossil fuels are essential to help these youth.
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