A Real Climate Catastrophe?

Bear with me whilst I throw out a heretical thought or two relating to climate change.

What if it turns out that man made CO2 emissions have only a negligible effect on global temperatures and other naturally occurring processes are the major drivers of global temperatures. There has been a recent period of zero temperature growth and at least two years of recorded cooling. It is not clear at this time whether this indicates that the cooling trend will become more established but just for minute let’s look at the world if this actually does come to pass.

So what is CO2 and is it a pollutant when its role as a climate change driver is much reduced or eliminated? CO2 is a colourless odourless gas which forms a natural part of the Earth’s atmosphere and on the whole is beneficial to life on Earth as it is used by plants when the respire and they emit Oxygen as part of the same process. Plants have been show to display improved yields and more vigorous growth in atmospheres rich in CO2. Contrary to the image portrayed in the media, particularly the recent UK Government’s carbon footprint TV Adverts, it is no a sticky black goo which looks similar to crude oil.

So if CO2 is not a pollutant and in reasonable concentrations is beneficial then where is the driver to reduce carbon emissions if it has been exonerated as the main cause of climate change? The simple answer is there is no driver and that changes everything.

An immediate effect is the freeing up of several billion dollars which is currently spent on researching this issue. That money could be spent on more directly useful and pressing needs such as the provision of clean drinking water to the portion of the world’s population currently deprived of this basic right.

Carbon trading would become unnecessary and the structures put in place to enable this to happen could be disbanded and the money saved used to aid development in the Third World.

The IPCC could be greatly scaled down.

Green lobbyists could concentrate on issues that are actually and demonstrably damaging to the environment.

Last but by no means least; Al Gore would need to find another life’s mission. Global cooling perhaps?

Sources:
Global Temperatures: http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/2008/
CO2 described: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide
TV Advert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCJotacAmo4