Why the Greenhouse Effect And Global Warming Make No Sense

The whole concept of global warming and climate change is based on the fact that CO2 and some other gases, trapped in our upper atmosphere, act as a reflective blanket and radiate heat back to the earth in much the same way as a glass enclosed greenhouse maintains warm temperatures for plants; even in the depths of winter. But, anyone who actually owns a greenhouse also knows that the greenhouse effect only works during the day and, at night, the lack of the sun's radiant heat must be offset with some form of gas or electric heat.

So, with this simple concept in mind, it seems obvious that the sun is what truly drives the greenhouse effect.

If we are to assume -- as the global warmists would have us all believe -- that CO2 reflects thermal energy, we must also assume that it is also capable of reflecting or blocking the sun's thermal energy from reaching the earth. Therefore, it is only logical that some of the sun's energy won't be able to warm the earth as the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases rise in our atmosphere. So, at the very least, the warming effect of increased CO2 is probably being more than offset by the amount of the sun's thermal energy that is being blocked.

Another reason that the greenhouse effect doesn't make any sense has to do with simple thermal dynamics. At the heart of this concept is the fact that space is a lot colder than the earth is warm. In fact, in the depths of space, the temperature is 2.7 degrees kelvin or about -455 degrees Fahrenheit. At best, the warmest parts of the earth can only reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit. So, in essence, the tendency of the earth is to cool rather than to heat up. Most of its warmth is at the surface. The farther away from the surface you go, the colder it gets. You only have to look to the ice caps on the world's mountain tops to know this to be true. Therefore, by the time that earth's radiated heat makes it to the CO2 layer that is trapped in the earth's upper atmosphere, that heat has been cooled to freezing temperatures. So, therefore, what amount of real thermal energy is actually being reflected?

Furthermore, because space is so cold, the likelihood of one extra degree of the earth's radiated warmth being reflected back to the surface is highly improbable. It is more logical to believe that, thermally, the earth is less likely to warm space than space is to cool the earth.

What the Warmists don't want to talk about is the fact that most of the heat that is trapped at the earth's surface is the result of the amount of water vapor that is present in our atmosphere --- both in terms of clouds and humidity. Water vapor is the true greenhouse gas and it is the reason that we aren't just some big snowball in space. Water vapor makes up 95% of the earth's atmosphere. By contrast, CO2 only makes up less than 4 tenths of one percent of it. Even the smallest changes in the amount of water vapor in our atmosphere will have a substantial effect on the overall temperature of our environment. And, no amount of tree ring data and ice cores can tell us how much water vapor was present at any particular time in the history of the earth. Because of this lack of data, the computer models that are predicting future temps are totally deficient and not at all reliable. That is why, I believe, the current global warming scientists are so perplexed by the more than decade long flat-lining of world temperatures. Their models just don't work.

Through simple observation, anyone can easily understand how important humidity and clouds are to temperature. If you live in area of the country were the temperatures are capable of plunging below zero, you know that the coldest days -- the days when jet liners flying overhead actually create a "crackling" sound --- are those days that are totally cloudless and the humidity levels are so low that everything you touch gives you a static electricity shock. Those living in desert areas know that cloudy days will keep the the night from cooling off to the more comfortable temperatures that would otherwise be seen on cloudless nights.

There is just so much about the effect of CO2 on global warming that makes absolutely no sense. In most cases, simple logic trumps what we are being told. To me, the science will be settled when the majority of scientists -- and not just those whose theories are being tainted by fat government grants --- are in concert about the cause of global warming. Until then, I will remain one of those evil skeptics.