Lots of politically charged rhetoric and misinformation on manmade global warming / climate change.
I figured, I'd give some basic info we all might agree on, free from any political agenda.
A greenhouse is made of glass because it traps heat.
One of the physical properties of glass is it allows infra-red (heat) to come thru BUT,
the IR wavelengths lengthen and the get trapped inside the glass.
CO2 in the upper atmosphere can do the same thing to IR waves (heat) that radiates from the earth and all living things on it. Since naturally occurring CO2 levels are only a fraction of a %, it doesn't take much to change the rate at which the earth cools.
Since the dawn of the industrial age , circa 1880's, humans have released an ever increasing amount of CO2 into our atmosphere. Unlike Helium , an inert noble gas, CO2 absorbs and remains as part of our atmosphere.
The biggest increase will be near the poles because of their magnetic strength. Please note, the magnetic field of the earth's poles protect us from deadly cosmic rays ( * Van Allen belts in the upper atmosphere help with this).
Here's the basic scientific facts:
1. Humanity has released growing amounts of CO2 into our atmosphere due the rise of the internal combustion engine and related fossil fuel burning.
Any combustion reaction is: Hydrocarbon + Oxygen yields CO2 + H2O vapor and energy.
2. The extra CO2 gets trapped and builds up in our atmosphere.
3. CO2 gas has a similar physical property to glass that traps IR ( heat) waves.
This is a pretty basic and straight forward cause-effect in the physical sciences.
What we decide to do about it is the political issues.
Lastly, I love the internal combustion engine.
I drive a classic 8 cylinder Mustang convertible vroom-vroom baby.
But, my model gets almost 25 mpg on the hwy, so wtf.
FYI, in my opinion, unless we get China and India on board , anything the USA does won't matter much.
The earth's atmosphere doesn't care who gives off gas.LOL.
