This miniseries is a layman’s explanation of the causes of Climate Change and its effects upon Global Warming.

Currently, CO₂ is the most prevalent greenhouse gas in our atmosphere even though it is only 400 ppm (0.04%) of our atmosphere. That is actually very high relative to what scientists have found in Antarctic ice core samples extending back about 800,000 years. One pound of gasoline produces about 7 pounds of CO₂ put into our atmosphere. A gallon of gasoline weighs 6.3 pounds and puts about 20 pounds of CO₂ into our atmosphere. The reason for the gain in weight is because during combustion the carbon atoms in gasoline combine with the oxygen atoms in the air to form CO₂. But as more CO₂ is dumped into our atmosphere and absorbed by the seas and trees the water starts to become saturated with it and absorbs less (see Part 1) resulting in more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and more Global Warming of our atmosphere due to the greenhouse effect. In the last 250 years or so (industrial revolution) the CO₂ levels have risen from 280 ppm to their current record high of over 400 ppm in an exponential assent. According to the latest 2018 data never have they reached such heights in the last 800,000 years of global warming and cooling cycles. This has been mostly attributed to the huge amounts of CO₂ dumped into our atmosphere since the industrial revolution and more recently due to the greater use of energy from power plants, cars, and heavy and chemical industries around the world. It is at crisis levels. This is as a result of anthropogenic climate change or man-caused climate change. This is a global phenomenon more than a local one since CO₂ circulates around the world. But there are higher concentrations where there are large consumption of fossil fuels producing huge quantities of CO₂.

Cycles of global warming and cooling happen about once every 80,000 years or so according to ice core samples from Antarctica.  These ice core samples go as far back as 800,000 years. Carbon and other dating techniques date the ice samples as well as the levels of CO₂ frozen into the ice core samples giving a good record of CO₂ concentrations at different depths in the ice samples. There is no doubt about the conclusions based on these ice core sample as well as other independent sedentary rock samples and ancient wood tree rings and petrified forest and other data that our current rise in CO₂ levels is an anomaly from anthropogenic emissions. And the record high levels of CO₂ currently in our atmosphere exceeding 400 ppm have no equal in more than 800,000 years. There is an overwhelming amount of scientific data from many different sources that correlate well to the rapid and unprecedented rise in worldwide CO₂ levels being attributed to man. The data is so overwhelmingly and consistently convincing to more than 95% of scientists worldwide.

All this alarming rise in CO₂ levels have scientist very worried around the world. Scientists from hundreds of countries around the world agree that we have a very serious problem of enormous proportions that must be addressed scientifically, socially, morally, economically, and politically by all nations, especially industrialized countries. It is imperative that carbon emissions be greatly reduced. Even the Pope is addressing this as a moral issue so grave is it. The consequences of Climate Change will be dealt with later in this miniseries.

There are other greenhouse gases as well, namely methane. Methane is the main component of natural gas which is piped all over this country and used by many if not most households. It is 30-40 times more potent pound for pound than CO₂ but is currently thousands of times lower in concentration in our atmosphere than CO₂. Methane is not very soluble in water so once it gets into the atmosphere it stays until broken down by the sun’s high energy UV rays. But as we increase fracking and drilling for natural gas more will escape into the atmosphere increasing in concentration. It is also produced by animal excrements such as cow dung from raising cattle, a major concern, for meat and human waste. Large amounts are starting to be released by thawing tundra that also continue to decay and release even more as vast tundra start thawing. I will say more about this in Part 3 of this miniseries: The Positive Feedback Loop.

Links to this Miniseries:-

1. Climate Change: Part 1 – The Fundamentals
2. Climate Change: Part 2  – Greenhouse Gases
3. Climate Change: Part 3 – Runaway Climate Change
4. Climate Change: Part 4 – How Storms & Hurricanes Form