A THERMODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE ON

GLOBAL WARMING



There is no cause and effect relationship between greenhouse gasses and global warming - period. Greenhouse gasses can not cause a change in temperature, and can not cause heat to flow against a gradient by "reflecting" it from the upper atmosphere. A clean burn produces three emissions, heat, carbon dioxide, and water; it's the heat that produces the temperature change, the presence of carbon dioxide is only a correlation. Heat is the pollutant that is causing global warming.



About heat:

Every unit of heat produced that escapes into the environment contributes directly to global warming. And because heat does not break down and can’t be destroyed it continues to be part of the global warming equation until such time as it is either reclaimed or propagates into outer space.



Where does all the heat come from?

Energy use and land use change are the major sources of heat pollution. In terms of energy use, we produce over 80 million barrels of oil, 7 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 45 billion kilowatt hours of electricity a DAY, most of which ends up a heat. The millions of square miles of land we have covered with man made surfaces radiate virtually all the solar energy they absorb back into the environment as heat. This is in contrast to natural ecosystems that convert solar energy into matter through photosynthesis. Matter which becomes part of the biosphere, sequestering energy which would otherwise have degraded to heat.



Ecosystems function to store energy not carbon, carbon only provides a convenient chemical bond for the energy storage. Reducing greenhouse gasses necessitates burning fewer carbon based fuels (and therefore producing less heat) so a greenhouse gas reduction will help global warming, indirectly.





Why is this important?

While treating the symptom (greenhouse gasses) may be somewhat helpful it will not solve the problem. If greenhouse gasses were reduced to pre-industrial levels we would still have a global warming problem because of the enormous amount of heat pollution we generate. Heat which can not possibly escape through our atmosphere at the rate it is being produced. Heat, which collects in the environment, raising the temperature, and causing global warming.





This does not change Al Gore’s message in An Inconvenient Truth, but it does suggest a more direct and helpful approach to global warming.





This perspective respects the Law of Parsimony (Occam's razor), When multiple explanations exist, the simplest is usually correct. And respects the Second Law of Thermodynamics - heat does not flow against a gradient.



The ramifications of this perspective are interesting. For instance: if heat is the basic cause of global warming then the Kyoto Protocol is completely misdirected and a waste of time.
















--------------------------------------------------------------------------------





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A THERMODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE ON

GLOBAL WARMING

While greenhouse gasses may be compounding the global warming problem by trapping heat, they are not its cause. Greenhouse gasses can not cause a change in temperature, they can only participate passively in temperature change by trapping and/or reflecting heat; it’s the heat that causes the temperature change. Heat is the pollutant that is causing global warming; greenhouse gasses are only compounding the problem.

About heat:

Every unit of heat produced that escapes into the environment contributes directly to global warming. And because heat does not break down and can’t be destroyed it continues to be part of the global warming equation until such time as it is either reclaimed or propagates into outer space.

Where does all the heat come from?

Energy use and land use change are the major sources of heat pollution. In terms of energy use, we produce over 80 million barrels of oil, 7 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 45 billion kilowatt hours of electricity a DAY, most of which ends up a heat. The millions of square miles of land we have covered with man made surfaces radiate virtually all the solar energy they absorb back into the environment as heat. This is in contrast to natural ecosystems that convert solar energy into matter through photosynthesis. Matter which becomes part of the biosphere, containing the energy which would otherwise have degraded to heat.

Ecosystems function to store energy not carbon, carbon only provides a convenient chemical bond for the storage. Releasing the energy from those bonds produces (among other byproducts), heat and carbon. So as more and more carbon based fuels are burned there is a proportional increase in carbon based greenhouse gasses. This increase in greenhouse gasses does not have a cause and effect relationship to global warming, it is merely a correlation. Reducing greenhouse gasses necessitates burning fewer carbon based fuels (and therefore producing less heat) so a greenhouse gas reduction will help global warming, indirectly.

Why is this important?

While treating the symptom (greenhouse gasses) may be somewhat helpful it will not solve the problem. If greenhouse gasses were reduced to pre-industrial levels we would still have a global warming problem because of the enormous amount of heat pollution we generate. Heat which can not possibly escape through our atmosphere at the rate it is being produced. Heat, which collects in the environment, raises the temperature, and causes global warming.

This does not change Al Gore’s message in An Inconvenient Truth, but it does suggest a more direct and helpful approach to treating global warming.