[quote]Phil_the_legend wrote:
The largest greenhouse gas is water vapour. So that push for Hydrogen cars is ludicrous for two reasons. One, the exhaust is water vapour (yeah let’s put more of that up there to reduce global warming, duh). The second is that Hydrogen has to be extracted from water, and that process requires more energy than the hydrogen provides, so more coal power plants are fired up to make less energy (pretty stupid eh).
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You are right water vapor is the largest greenhouse gas and I also agree hydrogen cars would be pointless from an environmental standpoint as well as a means of an efficient energy source.
[quote]Phil_the_legend wrote:
CO2 is actually still being absorbed by the Ocean (yes it does this, something no one seems to mention) and trees (more CO2 = larger trees) and there are more trees today than 50 years ago ’
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I am also aware that oceans are absorbing CO2 but find it laughable perhaps that you think oceans absorbing CO2 is a good thing.
(And all the trees in the world won’t help if you’re putting out more CO2 than the trees can absorb. Show me the link on the tree stats though. I have a hard time believing that one with all of the deforestation the last 100 years.)
“Ocean Blues” by Sandra Hines
“Since the Industrial Revolution, Earth’s oceans have swallowed nearly half of all fossil-fuel carbon emissions. Damage could be reaching the tipping point, threatening the entire marine food web.”
http://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns/june07/content/view/12/1/
Ocean acidification
“Unlike climate change-which can reveal itself in varied ways, including making some places colder-ocean acidification is a straight forward response of seawater to excess carbon dioxide, says Oceanography professor James Murray, the founding director of the University’s Program on Climate Change.”
“While the debate continues over how much global warming is human-caused, there is no quarrel over changing the ocean chemistry. Oceanographers agree that ocean acidification is the result of carbon dioxide generated since the Industrial Revolution.”
“In the past 200 years, the oceans have absorbed about 525 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, nearly half of all fossil-fuel emissions.”
"If you can estimate how much excess carbon dioxide humans will put into the atmosphere in coming years, then scientists can tell you how much ocean acidification to expect. The predictions point to a dire state of affairs, Murray says. “The whole marine food web could be affected.”
“At present, the chemistry of the oceans is changing at least 100 times more rapidly than it has during the 650,000 years preceding our industrial era.”
“Haven’t heard of ocean acidification? You’re not alone.”
“Considering how vast the oceans are, just how is it that humans have managed to change their chemistry?”
People have no idea how much carbon dioxide we generate, says Chris Sabine, a NOAA oceanographer and affiliate assistant professor at the UW."
“Sabine says the typical American is adding, on average, 118 pounds of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every day. Thats not all coming from the tailpipe of your car; much of it also represents the fossil fuels that are burned to produce things we use every day and, in places where hydroelectricity isnt available, the fuel burned every time we turn on a light switch or use hot water for a shower.”
“Around the world humans are releasing about 7 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year. Sabine says a metric ton of carbon weighs about as much as a Volkswagen bug. Now, Sabine says, imagine putting 7 billion VW bugs into the air every year.”
"If ocean acidification appears unstoppable, what is the appropriate emission target?
Zero, according to Ken Caldeira, who was one of the two climate scientists who coined the phrase ‘ocean acidification’ in 2003."
I strongly suggest you read the article, it’s short. But if you think the oceans absorbing excess C02 (tons of billions a yr)is a good thing, than maybe it will give you a different point a view.