Greenhouse gases building up in the atmosphere


Even as scientists around the world continue to warn that the build up of greenhouse gases, especially CO2 from carbon based fuels, is leading to drastic changes in the earth's climate the major international oil and gas cartels continue to pump the substance while the leading governments of the world fail to take meaningful action.

Just this week Kerry Sheridan reported, in Agence France-Presse, that last year, according to the US Department of Energy (this is the one Gov. Perry couldn't remember he wanted to abolish) carbon based fuels (oil, gas, and coal) dumped the largest yearly amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in history.

Led by the world's three greatest atmospheric polluters, China, the US, and India, the industrialized countries managed, despite all the warnings, to dump about 512 million metric-tons of additional carbon into the air in 2010; the most ever seen in a single year since data began being collected as far back as 1751. This means there are about 9.1 billion metric tons of carbon based gases floating around in the atmosphere, about 6% more than in 2009. This is no way to fight global warming.

John Abraham of the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) School of Engineering was quoted as saying "This is very bad news. These results show that it will be harder to make the tough cuts to emissions if we are to head off a climate crisis." Another climate scientist, Scott Mandis, remarked that "Science tells us that we are driving in a fog headed toward a cliff but are unsure just how far away it is. Given this warning, it is quite foolish to be stepping on the accelerator."

In light of this it is shocking that so many people in our country don't even believe in this largely man made atmospheric pollution: this due to deep seated ignorance of science spawned by a dysfunctional education system, media complicity with Wall Street corporations that profit from a carbon based fuel economy, and know nothing right wing politicians, especially exemplified by the Republican presidential candidates who publicly proclaim that global warming induced by the burning of fossil fuels is a "hoax."

Fortunately the American people are beginning to wake up and take matters in their own hands. They are mobilizing to fight against states that desire to issue fracking permits to oil companies, and under the stimulus of the Occupy Wall Street movement and (the website devoted to mobilizing against global warming) have thrown a monkey wrench into the federal government's plan to rush through approval of the oil pipeline from Canada to Texas.

Now they must mobilize against the oil drilling permits the government is handing out for off shore drilling in the Arctic and the Gulf of Mexico, especially the new ones to BP which hasn't even paid its fines for the Gulf spill it caused.

Activists aruge that every plan to increase dependency on fossil fuels must be fought. Their demands are that solar, wind, water, and other non polluting renewable energy sources be developed. In the wake of the disaster in Japan there is little support for nuclear power.

Photo: Creative Commons 2.0


Post your comment

Comments are moderated. See guidelines here.


  • The Chinese government is taking action by giving heavy support to research into alternate energy sources.

    Posted by , 11/17/2011 3:13am (3 years ago)

  • I saw not one shred of evidence in this article that CO2 is building up in the atmosphere at an alarming rate. I saw figures that more CO2 is being produced, but the hypothesis that this is resulting in a massive increase of CO2 in the atmosphere is in proven. Or, that it is dangerous to life on this planet. The reasoning is akin to suggesting the drinking milk as an infant leads to drud addiction, since all addicts drank milk as infants.

    The truth is, we don't know what effect our CO2 emissions have on Global Warming. The scientists have only presented an unproven hypothesis whose early predictions have proven out.

    What we do Know is that climate change is a natural event and that the world has been very cold more than its been excessively warm. In addition, the research seems to suggest that civilizations tend to do much better in warmer climate.

    Finally, if the scientists are correct about the effect of CO2, and if other scientists are correct that the sun's activity is suggesting another cold spell, it could be that the additional CO2 is saving millions of lives.

    Posted by Brad Fregger, 11/15/2011 1:58am (3 years ago)
