FOSSIL FUELS ARE ESSENTIAL TO CIVILIZATION

Careful analysis of Antarctic ice cores has demonstrated that temperatures rise first, followed by an increase in carbon dioxide

Millions of years ago, it was much warmer than today and the whole world was a tropical paradise. That is when all the Earth’s coal and oil were produced.

We are told that we have to eliminate all use of fossil fuels because it is the burning of fossil fuels that is increasing carbon dioxide which, they say, will soon lead to the destruction of the Earth.

Now, no one has ever been able to prove that. Sure, carbon dioxide is increasing a little year by year, but not dramatically. At the same time the temperature is rising and some would have us believe that rising carbon dioxide is causing the temperature to rise. The truth is that carbon dioxide was much higher when all that coal and oil were produced. Careful analysis of Antarctic ice cores has demonstrated that temperatures rise first, followed by an increase in carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide is not a dangerous gas. Carbon dioxide in submarines and on spacecraft are ten times what it is in our atmosphere, so we know it is not dangerous.

No carbon dioxide, no plants; it is that simple. There would be no animals, either

Right now, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is about 0.042 percent. From that tiny amount grows all plants and animals on the Earth. No carbon dioxide, no plants; it is that simple. There would be no animals, either.

There is a principle of life that I learned in about the Third Grade that animals take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide, and plants take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. This keeps the Earth in balance. What the plants take in is used to grow the plant, itself.

It is well documented that the level of carbon dioxide is rising. But it is rising very slowly, and has risen at about the same rate for over one hundred years. Sure, carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that helps keep the Earth warm, but water vapor is far more important. That is why it is warmer near the oceans and in the tropics. It is because there is more water in the air. If we did not have this level of water in the air it would get blistering hot in the day time and bitter cold at night. (Like on our Moon.)

Scientists are not sure what has caused the carbon dioxide level to rise. One thing seems clear and that is that the present level of carbon dioxide needs to rise for us to have a “normal” atmosphere. That is because the level of carbon dioxide was much higher in the distant past. 

But changes in the level of carbon dioxide are more than likely caused by changes in nature, such as changes in cloud cover, or even regional changes in weather. The increase (or decrease) is more than likely caused by our Sun, which is the ultimate originator of all energy on the Earth.

The oceans contain about fifty times more carbon dioxide than is in the air. As the Sun warms the oceans, they tend to give up carbon dioxide. The oceans are quite deep and it takes a long time for them to warm clear to the bottom, and so the level of carbon dioxide is gradually increasing.

It is so cold at the bottom of the ocean that water and methane gas combine to form what are called clathrates. Clathrates are made up of ice and methane. There is probably more methane (natural gas) in these clathrate deposits than there is stored in the ground.

Earth is not warming any more rapidly than in the past

Several have written books designed to scare us into spending drastically on climate change. We have given up freedom for a little security.

But the Earth is not warming any more rapidly than in the past, and all those stories are just designed to get us scared enough to spend trillions attempting to solve a non- problem.

They have even brought young people in to help scare us, one telling us: “How dare you?”

The elimination of fossil fuels is pure folly. One of the best little books written on the subject is The Moral Case For Fossil Fuels by: Alex Epstein. Alex makes it abundantly clear that fossil fuels are important.

There is considerable evidence that fossil fuels have made America great, as well as the rest of the world and the civilization that we know today. Up until very recently life was like in the stone age. Not much change. Then coal and oil were discovered, and life changed dramatically. The coal to make coal oil (kerosene) probably saved the whales.

So, supposing we eliminate fossil fuels by 2035. What would life be like? What would we have to do without?

Take your car, for instance: no bumper, no dash, no inside panels or upholstery, no seats, no floor mats.

Look at your kitchen: No refrigerator, microwave, mixer, counter top or coffee maker. In the living room there would be no carpet, no sofa, TV or Computers.

Look in your storage cabinets: almost all packaging is made from plastic which is derived from oil.

Fertilizer is made from natural gas

Fertilizer is made from natural gas (methane). This fertilizer has enabled the world to feed the starving masses.

Asphalt for highways, rubber tires, roof shingles, vinyl siding, vinyl fencing, plumbing pipes, vapor barriers, insulation; it all comes from oil. In fact there are very few things that do not use plastic for something. For a fuller list consult my recent post. 6,000 Things Made From Fossil Fuels, Rev (I only found 1,700, but you get the idea.)

Let’s take a closer look at the drive to eliminate fossil fuels, and why this measure is ill-advised.

1. Presently when the sun does not shine, or the wind blow, the slack is taken up with reliable sources of electricity that produce energy 24/7, like coal, natural gas, hydropower and nuclear.
2. Wind and solar are a very small percentage of our energy mix. When they become 100 percent (if they ever do) the entire nation will be covered with solar panels and wind turbines. Ugg!
3. Electric Cars are really not the answer, as some states have asked that they not be charged during certain hours; There is not enough power available for more electric vehicles. Plus, when electric vehicles are located where they can get wet with sea water, they sometimes catch fire and burn up. They are a disaster in blizzards when stuck by the side of the road, or when the region’s power is down, they are simply useless.
4. Our country has an abundance of Coal, Oil and Natural gas, and it would be a shame not to use it. These are the products that made America Great.