Steam Center Blog

Climate Change and Global Warming ( text superimposed on sketch by C.F. Hall)   Y esterday there was a news item by BBC describing how an advisor to the Australian Prime Minister mentioned that climate change theories are a hoax. To quote from it,   "It's a well-kept secret, but 95% of the climate models we are told prove the link between human CO2 emissions and catastrophic global warming have been found, after nearly two decades of temperature stasis, to be in error." Mr Newman said the public had been "subjected to extravagance from climate catastrophists for close to 50 years", and swallowed "dud predictions" from weather bureaus who presented "homogenised" data to suit narratives. He also said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which reviews and assesses scientific work relevant to climate change for the UN, had been exposed "repeatedly for ­mis­rep­resentation and shoddy methods". The UN, he sai...

The Climate Change Debate And the five myths that surround the subject A n active debate is taking place in the world about climate change. Many believe that because of fossil fuels use, carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas has been increasing steadily in the atmosphere, and this is leading to adverse climate changes that include an overall warming of the planet as also more frequent adverse climate extremes that are devastating for human habitations whenever they take place. As a result, the objective of limiting such emissions is being pursued by many organizations, governments and individuals. Carbon dioxide levels have gone up from around 0.02 percent (200ppm) in preceding centuries to around 0.04 percent(400 ppm)  presently T he opponents to such attempts on the other hand fall in two categories. First are those that say that carbon dioxide levels are too miniscule in the atmosphere to make a difference and in fact it is a good gas and we need more of it. The s...

Dark Clouds over Syria, oil on canvas by Ashok Do we need more carbon dioxide or less on the planet? In order to answer that question properly, it would  be useful to ascertain  what is the best level of this gas in the atmosphere is as regards the long term well being of all life on the planet - plants, animals, and humans. The present level in the atmosphere is around 400 ppm. Studies have shown that a level of around 1000 ppm is best for plants. Therefore it seems that at least from the point of view of the green side of life, we need around two and a half times our present levels. At a time when most evolution of life took place on the planet, the carbon dioxide levels were much higher.  During the Cambrian period that saw an explosion of new life forms, it was around fifteen times as high. Most of that evolution took place in the oceans that prospered hugely by the increased dissolved carbon dioxide . The higher ph levels were a breeding ground for ...

W ith atmospheric CO2 concentrations reaching the 400 ppm level, the media and a number of scientists have set off the alarm bells, claiming “record high levels” of CO2 had been reached, and that the planet is on the verge of an overdose. Is this really true? It appears that some 200 million years ago when CO2 levels were 4-5 times present levels, the period that saw the rise of giant fern forests--and then continued a slow decline until recent pre-industrial time. http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/virtualmuseum/climatechange2/07_1.shtml Also to quote another readily available online source, “Note that at high CO2 concentrations, such as 800 ppm, plants thrive. But as CO2 levels fall off, growth rates really start to plummet once they fall below 500 ppm. History shows that the Earth sustains much more life, i.e. is much greener and fruitful, when CO2 levels are higher, i.e. in the vicinity of 1000 ppm,”   which is two and a half times the present levels ...

The author with his adopted son and Grandson in Nainital Himalays   W hile a lot of humans are crying hoarse over burning of fossil fuels and the resulting increase of carbon emissions, here is a different view that concludes carbon emissions could be good for the planet. It seems a scientific fact that trees grow faster and healthier as the level of carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere. Around 1000 ppm seems great for plants and it is still around 400ppm. Presently it is still too low for their best possible health.   Over the past century while human population has been increasing by leaps and bounds tree population has gone down drastically due to human activity. There is a desperate need to increase tree population. Much wild life depends on it. The carbon in our fossil fuels belong to trees that were buried under the ground a long time ago. By burning fossil fuels we help return that carbon to trees but some cruel and thoughtless humans try trapping th...