Climate, CO2 Optimism

Arecent debate between climate optimist John Christy (University of Alabama, Huntsville) and climate pessimist Kerry Emanuel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), hosted by Russ Roberts of EconTalk, put scientific knowledge on display. And as Emanuel’s above quotation attests, climate science remains very unsettled.

More importantly, there are clear reasons for climate optimism in a CO₂-enriched world.

Revisiting the physical science is timely. Article 12 of the (U.S.-rejoined) Paris climate accord instructs member nations to “enhance climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation and public access to information … with respect to enhancing actions under this Agreement.” Climate activists, in this regard, are lobbying for compulsory education in schools “to build broad support for solving climate change and for building a more equitable society.”

But climate education should fairly present both sides of a complex subject. Unwarranted conclusions about a human-caused climate crisis would ill-inform the public. To this end, different arguments against climate alarm (and forced energy transformation) should be highlighted to counter the Malthusian notion that self-interested economic progress is engendering climate chaos.

Begin with some basics.

First, carbon dioxide (CO₂) is not a traditional pollutant. The criteria air pollutants are ground-level Ozone (O₃), Particulate Matter (PM), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Lead (Pb), Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂), and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂). A dangerous CO₂ concentration (such as might occur in a confined space) is in the thousands of parts per million (ppm); ambient CO₂ levels are around 415 ppm. Thus, CO2 is a politically designated pollutant.

CO₂ is a nutrient, the “gas of life,” with scientifically proven benefits for plants, trees, and crops. “Future CO₂ increases will boost farm productivity, improve drought resistance, bolster food security and help create a greener, lusher planet,” concludes the CO₂ Coalition.

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Πηγή: aier.org