Hi,
Yeah, I know most of you think increasing carbon dioxide/global warming is a hoax - a plot by Al Gore and various other forces of evil to undermine capitalism, etc. I have no intention of trying to convince you otherwise. Indeed, I am willing to be convinced, but, as the inimitable Guy_F so often states, you can’t convince me by pulling numbers out of your ass, nor by flaming me LOUDLY and often.
I don’t claim to be an engineer, mechanic, computer whiz - just a farm boy with the benefit of some advanced training in how ecosystems work. I know enough to detect BS in ppm though, and the evidence by real atmospheric scientists clearly shows CO2 levels rising, and ambient world temperatures rising. I am surprised though, at the level of hostility/fear that any discussion of a possible link between the two brings out. Is it possible it threatens some peoples way of life? Can’t help that, maybe we should talk about it?
I really do not believe that a thousand guys scattered across the (mostly) english-speaking world, sharing an interest in an English stationary diesel engine design will affect the political outcome of this debate, so feel no particular compunction to argue the point. (Interestingly enough, the Governor of California, movie star strong-man Arnold Schwartznegger has managed to resuscitate his political future by signing a bill to make political changes over global warming.)
Yes, the global climate has always changed, yes carbon dioxide is a natural product that cycles into larger cycles, etc., etc. But, like heavy metals, halogenated hydrocarbons, radioactive isotopes, etc., when 6 billion people dump their wastes, it is possible to overwhelm the natural cycles that clean water, air, food, etc., and cause human habitat to become unpleasant. Yes I know that all of these problems have technical solutions, but, IMHO, humans are not wealthy enough or wise enough to apply them. Regarding the CO2 issue, I personally believe the fix resides in Peak Oil, whatever happens, happens, and when hydrocarbons are expensive enough, we will quit dumping so much of the waste into the atmosphere. Denying there is a problem doesn’t fix it though.
So, Guy_F, Fuddy Duddy, et al, I am not particularly interested in opinion, if you have some real data, collected by real scientists (not opinionated engineers, as much as I may respect your opinions about metallurgy, machining, wiring and other technical topics), I’d love to hear it. If you have a counter-rant about the world-wide global warming conspiracy, I’ll pass, thank you. I know some of you believe this to be a threat to capitalism, I do not, capitalism is just too big. I do believe it will make some people very uncomfortable in the near future though, regardless of who is right about it. It is, therefore, worth discussing.
Ray