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  • From: "Bock, Paul" <PBock AT avox.zodiac.com>
  • To: "'market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] global warming - way off topic
  • Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 14:20:05 -0500

I'm not against fighting the release of trapped carbon (coal, oil, gas) into
our atmosphere. In fact I am currently researching closed carbon energy
cycles such as biomass combustion, and portable fuels like alcohol. And
more efficient use of energy using ground source heat pumps and distributed
cogeneration (micro- combined heat and power generation).

But I don't agree that we caused or can influence global warming. About
10,000 years ago much of the North American continent was covered in ice,
during the ice age. Something happened that caused that ice to start to
melt. And that was far before the human race started burning large
quantities of fossil fuels. Global warming has been going on for much
longer than the couple hundred years we have been burning fossil fuels.

I think that it is foolish to expect a sort of balance to nature. As if "no
change" in average temperature is the way things should be. Market farmers
are particularly aware of the continuous change in nature and the shear
power of nature.

Quite frankly there is a lot of air around our planet. 78% of it is
Nitrogen. 21% of it is oxygen. All the other gases, _including_ carbon
dioxide are embedded in the last 1%. With all the stuff we have burned we
haven't significantly changed that percentage.

I'm not writing this to attack people who want to fight for global warming,
quite frankly I hope more efficient use of energy systems will be researched
and developed on the coat tails of the global warming anger. Mostly,
because I am a do-it-yourselfer who doesn't happen to have an oil well in my
back yard. If I did, I would probably try to crack and refine my own
hydrocarbon fuels. Just as much as I want to try to generate heat and power
form biomass without lots of smoke and poor combustion. It's all about
doing what you can in your own backyard. Same reason I grow vegetables.

I think people like to get alarmed. I think this is very similar to how
people watching the news think there is more crime, scandal, and murder each
year. Mostly it is only because it is reported more, and in increasing
levels of drama. We have no more control over ice melting, oceans raising,
hurricane's blowing, than we do with stopping or trying to start a tornado,
lightning storm, or tsunami.

It seems the only thing we have gotten better at is the detecting
(reporting) of the stuff. We have satellites that can measure the surface
temp of the whole planet within a fraction of a degree. We have buoys in
the oceans and seismographs that let us know about earthquakes and tsunamis.
We have radar scanning that lets us look at wind velocities in a tornado.
Heck, we even have telescopes that let us see stars explode. (I'm pretty
sure we're not responsible for that one)




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