dik said:
People have known for decades that CO2 is harmful, but the total carbon footprint continues to rise.
What do you mean by this? CO2 is not HARMFUL in any immediate way. It's really good for stimulating plant growth. You do that in greenhouses. So, it is 100% all natural.
I can breathe in CO2 without any ill effects at all. As long as I continue to get enough oxygen, no harm will come to me.
What I think you mean is that CO2 is one of the gasses associated with Global Warming. And, that's been known for decades.
dik said:
The problem is that they are both bad.
Compared to what? Compared to getting ALL our energy from nuclear, wind, solar and unicorn farts, yes (in that context) they would both be considered bad. But, the key reality is that Unicorn Farts and green energy are not sufficient to keep our society running. We need energy. And, we CANNOT stop CO2 emissions from increasing. Not without a totalitarian state that imposes draconian measures on its population.... And, not without going to war with OTHER countries to impose those same draconian measures. I believe we can make reasonable changes to do our part (by eliminating coal and switching to low cost energy methods that produce less CO2 per MW).
Unfortunately, we could reduce our CO2 output in the Western World by 50% over the next 10 years and it wouldn't make a difference. The GLOBAL CO2 emissions will continue to rise because of China, India, Asia, South America, Africa and other developing regions. The rate that they are increasing their CO2 emissions far outpaces the rate at which we are decreasing ours.
Look at the chart below. CO2 emissions are relatively flat for the North America and Europe over the last 50 years. But, it has gone way, way, way up in other countries. We can't prevent them from seeking the better standard of living that comes from abundant energy production. It's going to happen. And, there's little we can do about it.
![[pipe]](/data/assets/smilies/pipe.gif "[pipe] [pipe]")