Napoleon's Nightingale
DP Veteran
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- Aug 11, 2005
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OnionCollection said:Im not sure when you mean by earth being more volcanically active in the past, as the current co2 spike has occured pretty much in the present in the last 200 years. Volcanic activity during this time cannot explain that spike. Fossil fuel burning emits over 100 time more co2 into the atmosphere than volcanoes do.
Again, Co2 is not the only greenhouse gas that has a major effect. A combonation of gasses is required. This process has been going on for hundreds of thousands of years without human interference. Humans are not responsible. In fact, it has only affected the process in a teeny tiny microscopic way.
OnionCollection said:I am not arguing for global warming at this time. I am showing that human emissions are the major cause of the co2 spike in the last 200 years. So the claim that is often heard that humans are too insignificant to compete with natural phenomenon is wrong. We are able to do just that and are currently out doing volcanoes at emitting co2.
There have been more than 2,000 volcanic erruptions and continuing erruptions worldwide in the past 50 years alone. Not to mention the fact that the world's supper volcanos are overdue for another erruption. The one in Yellowstone would cause a global climatic catastrophe and thats just one. Compared to the total amount of Co2 released by volcanos..the amount humans have realead is microscopic. In fact, Mt. Popo emits 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide per day and all of the worlds volcanos emit an average of 100 million tons per year.
OnionCollection said:Just about all the extra co2 must be due to human emissions. This can be worked out just from the numbers.
Humans have only emitted 5% of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
OnionCollection said:Third the rate of increase of co2 levels in the atmosphere has itself been increasing since the 1800s, and follows the rate at which fossil fuel burning has slowly increased over time.
The Co2 levels began increasing before the industrial revolution. It's a natural process.