Global Warming

I have not read Michael Creighton’s new book, “State of Fear” (nor do I intend to), but I hear it debunks some of the myths surrounding global warming. There is little doubt that some atmospheric warming is taking place currently … but it is unclear to me that this is primarily due to man’s carbon dioxide creating activities.

If developed nations are responsible for global warming, then we are in for an interesting future … since the developing world (with its multi-billions of people) will all too soon also be in the “developed” world category. However, we do know from the history captured in geological formations that the world has gone through many natural warming and cooling cycles. These cycles have apparently been caused by one or more of the following events (roughly in order of potential effect):

1) Changes (wiggles) in the amount of the orthogonal offset in the Earth’s rotational axis relative to the plane of its orbit around the sun. (This offset is what causes our world’s seasons.)

2) The periodic cycle of sunspot activity (and other solar dynamics) causing a change in the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth.

3) Enormous emissions of Earth’s gasses and particulates naturally and during cataclysmic geological events like earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.

4) The Earth’s on-going global chemistry which creates and destroys massive amounts of inorganic compounds.

5) The periodic small perturbations of the Earth in its orbit … closer to and further from the sun

6) The evolving structure of the Earth’s upper atmosphere (magnetic, chemical, and electrical) which filter out or permit in the ethers of space.

7) Shifts in the Earth’s ocean currents caused by intercontinental plate tectonic movements and other poorly-understood factors.

8) The effect of the Earth’s biomass and mankind on the composition and proportions of our atmospheric gasses (carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, etc. -- e.g., early plants converted enormous amount of naturally occurring carbon dioxide into oxygen … which then enabled the evolution of animals … who then reciprocated by converting oxygen back into carbon dioxide). By the by, methane has 20 times the atmospheric warming effect as carbon dioxide … and is mainly produced by nature, not by man.


The notion of a change (caused by the burning of fossil fuels) in the relatively small proportion of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere (from 310 to 370 parts per million during the last 40 years) is responsible for our current warming cycle seems to me to be the essence of human species egocentricity. If one truly comprehends the scope of the above-outlined possible reasons for global warming, then one has to conclude that politics must the driving force behind our current environmental hysteria. I think that any “scientist’ who lays global warming totally at the feet of the increase in carbon dioxide must first quantify the effects (positive and/or negative) of all the above possible causes.

Besides, global warming might not be all that bad. Imagine the huge wheat fields that could be planted in Siberia and Canada’s Northwest Territories. Imagine the opening of a passage through the sea ice north of Canada and Russia. Imagine the home heating fuel cost savings throughout the world. If, in fact, we are in a long-term warming cycle then, instead of moving to Florida for my retirement, I can just wait for Florida to move to me.