by Gregory Wrightstone
First, there is no climate emergency. Claims to the contrary are based on exaggerations about the warming effect of carbon dioxide and computer models that have proven unreliable.
As Republicans take the helm of the new House of Representatives, we expect Congress to think more clearly about climate. However, there is more work to be done for the Conservative Climate Caucus.
“Republicans have the solutions to reduce the world’s emissions while providing clean, reliable, and affordable energy to our allies around the globe,” said Representative John Curtis of Utah, the caucus president, said during a caucus. last month’s newsletter. We deduce that carbon dioxide is a gas of concern because they are often seen by alarmists as climate-destroying agents.
Congressman Curtis said that the need to reduce CO2 emissions is an illusion far from reality and has no scientific basis to prove it. This absurdity is frequently perpetuated by those who wish to appear reasonable in an atmosphere of political hysteria and trouble.
Such “rational” people credibly promote an “all above” energy strategy. And as suggested, in the fifth paragraph of the Conservative Climate Caucus newsletter, Congressman Debbie Lesko of Arizona said:
“Republicans in the House have worked hard to support these energy solutions without compromising our energy security, affordability, and reliability. I am delighted to be joining my colleagues… to prove to the world that we have the right solutions.”
It is the quintessential statement of rationality. It also lacks critical thinking, nor common sense, which, to her credit, members of Congress seem to value.
We do not mean to criticize Congressman Lesko. She is just an example. Nor do we deny her intelligence or her intentions. Likewise, a lot of smart people with good intentions also stumble across them only to find themselves fumbling around looking for a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.
Regarding energy, the “all above” level gives equal status to many sources: coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, wind, solar, biomass, etc. it assumes that the burning of fossil fuels must be balanced with the use of wind and sun to minimize the warming of carbon dioxide.
Both are light years away from the truth. Energy sources are not the same, and carbon dioxide poses no threat to the planet.
Dr. William HapperProfessor emeritus in the Department of Physics at Princeton University, has co-authored a paper that shows that the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide is limited to a narrow band of the electromagnetic spectrum and cannot cause dangerous warming of the planet.
“CO2 is completely natural,” he said. “Plants need it to grow. We all exhale about 2 pounds a day. When people say we need to remove carbon dioxide from the air, I can’t imagine what they’re thinking because today there isn’t enough carbon dioxide compared to the amount that plants prefer. We are living in a period of carbon dioxide famine in the context of geological history. We need more, not less.
“The demonization of carbon dioxide is absurd. Widely accepted data, such as those from Antarctic ice cores, suggest that over geological time carbon dioxide levels have almost never been as low as they are today. For most of Earth’s history, the level was four or five times what it is now.”
As for the comparative merits of energy sources, an analysis by Dr Indur Goklany, member of the CO2 Coalition, shows that coal, petroleum and natural gas are the most profitable sources based on their efficiency. them and the beneficial effects of carbon dioxide emissions. These fuels have fueled unprecedented prosperity and human health.
Their CO2 emissions contributed to greening the entire Earth and a record crop harvest.
Green lobbying promoting subsidies for wind and solar is precisely backward. Reason will show that fossil fuels – along with nuclear power – are favored for their unprecedented effectiveness in sustaining human life, even though we prefer the free market is the government choosing winners and losers.
We understand the desire to be “even” or “stretching over the aisle”. However, it is dangerous to admit false claims about a crisis and promote stupid strategies like “solutions”. It’s a package of “reasonable” without regard to reason.
This commentary was first published at daily callerDecember 3, 2022 and can be accessed here.
Gregory Wrightstone is a geologist; CEO ofCO2 Alliance, Arlington, VA; and author of The Inconvenient Truth: The Science Al Gore Doesn’t Want You To Know.
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