Cars...not the Global Warming Demon after all?

[Brim]

So everyone here who subscribes to the notion of dramatic climate change due to and unbalanced atmosphere caused by the man made carbon dioxide increase would probably agree that cars, especially those not of a hybrid nature (ssnnnfffff....AAHHHHH) are one of the biggest dangers that we as a people face in trying to keep our world from vomiting us up into the black abyss...right?


According to a new study done by Purdue University (those guys are astronauts) cities with high level traffic aren't necessarily as big of CO2 producers as other cities with less traffic problems. But why? This article cites that it must be due to a misunderstanding of the amounts of CO2 emitted by combustion engines vs the amount produced by the industrial sector.

Personally I side with the likes of the skeptics on the subject of Global Warming (climate change has and will continue to happen of its own accord with little to no impact made by mankind) so it just sounds to me like another whoopsie made by the scientists who support the theory.

It just sounds to me like another point where scientists who support the theory got something wrong. Apparently it isn't so easy to measure amounts of CO2 produced, much less what is even producing it.

I mean shouldn't it work like this?

Scientists determine how much CO2 is produced by item A (a car for example)

Scientists determine how many of those CO2 producing items are in a given area

Add that number to the other numbers from procedures done for items B, C, D...

Presto

If that number is way off for some areas, as this article suggests, wouldn't that imply that the scientists got some things wrong?



Just some food for thought, and another thread for strong opinions



Edited for Link Tee Hee Hee


IN CARS

 

[Zeonix]

Something related to this thread:

A vid that reinforces what Cuc said:

YouTube - More Scientists don't see CO2 as temperature driver

While I don't think global warming is bull****, as some people tend to believe for one reason or another (ITS SO COLD OUT, GUYS! GW IS BS!), I'm not convinced humans are the driving force behind global warming, either. Have we had any effect on it? Possibly, but I believe this is the first time we're able to view the effects of such a massive event, and so we're worried. Long ago, these problems would have probably seemed localized, but our view isn't nearly so narrow in this day and age.

 

[Dzamija]

As far as I know, global warming doesn't mean only warm weather, but also more extreme weather, so people who use that logic don't know enough about global warming as it is.

However, all this 'discovery' is doing is encouraging people to drive their cars more; which means more CO2 emissions than before. Alright, so maybe they're not as much at fault as we thought, but they're still significant.

My opinion is that we should decrease CO2 emissions as a whole, both in industry and emissions from cars, and whatever else is emitting CO2 in the atmosphere as a consequence of man's actions. There's no use arguing over who's doing more damage, when they're all doing it.

 

[Tenzo]

yeah...and cars are not the only things that produce CO2!

 

[Dokutayuu]

According to my physics teacher the main cause of global warming may be the sun's life cycle. Every 1 billion years it gets 10% hotter which may be the main cause. Key word is may.

It is certain that CO2 production is contributing to global warming but the thing is how much.

 

[Tenzo]

plausible!

 

[Dzamija]

According to my physics teacher the main cause of global warming may be the sun's life cycle. Every 1 billion years it gets 10% hotter which may be the main cause. Key word is may.

It is certain that CO2 production is contributing to global warming but the thing is how much.

For the sake of the world, I hope your teacher is wrong. The average Earth's temperature is 22 °C, so if it's 10% hotter, it would rise by 2,2 °C, a total of 24,2 °C. That's nearly triple the current 'extra heat' which measures 0,8 °C.

 

[Zeonix]

Considering Antarctica once had a tropical climate, I think it's fair to say we're just experiencing the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Spunky]

especially those not of a hybrid nature (ssnnnfffff....AAHHHHH)

I lol'd. Props Brim.

Every 1 billion years it gets 10% hotter which may be the main cause.

Did he say that it magically gets 10% hotter out of nowhere? Or does it happen over the course of 1 billion years? If the latter, then I don't see how that's immediately relevant.

 

[Dzamija]

I lol'd. Props Brim.



Did he say that it magically gets 10% hotter out of nowhere? Or does it happen over the course of 1 billion years? If the latter, then I don't see how that's immediately relevant.

Keep in mind that 6 °C lower than today's average was the Ice Age. This is 0,4 °C more than a third that amount, only the change is going in the opposite direction.

But that's on an entirely different plain than what we're talking about when we mention CO2 emissions. Namely, this has to do with the sun. CO2 emissions are connected to the greenhouse effect, which is warming up the planet. There's nothing we can do to the sun, but there is a lot we can do to slow down and/or decrease the greenhouse effect.