It has been written many times by climate alarmists that Carbon Dioxide is a pollutant and poisonous. It is NOT a pollutant and it is NOT poisonous. An article by “Covering Climate”, now partnered with the Guardian stated: Once CO2 is emitted, it remains in the atmosphere for millennia. (That’s thousands of years!).
New Zealand scientist Dr Jock Alison disputes this very strongly. “CO2 actually has a short time in the atmosphere” says Dr Alison.
Recent studies of the decay/disappearance rates of radioactive carbon in our atmosphere following nuclear tests in the Pacific from about 1948 to 1962 show a half life of 10 years only. That means after ten years half of it has gone. After another ten years, half of what was left has also gone and so on. CO2 can be removed from the atmosphere by plant photosynthesis and/or dissolving in the oceans.
The Carbon 14 isotope (the radioactive one), from which the information is gained, behaves in exactly the same way as Carbon 12, the normal isotope of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere.
THE PROPERTIES OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND ITS IMPORTANCE
Joseph Black, a Scottish chemist and physician, first identified Carbon Dioxide in the 1750’s. At room temperature 20-25 deg C Carbon Dioxide is an odourless, colourless gas which is non flammable. Although it exists mainly in the gaseous form, it also has a solid and liquid form. It becomes solid at about -78 deg C and this is commonly called dry ice. Liquid Carbon Dioxide exists mainly when it is dissolved in water. Carbon Dioxide is colourless, odourless and tasteless. It is more dense than air. If air is perfectly still, then Carbon Dioxide will gradually fall to the lowest point.
ITS USES
· Carbon Dioxide is used in surgery as an insufflation gas for minimal invasive surgery (laproscopy, endoscopy, arthroscopy), to enlarge and stabilise body cavities to provide better visibility of the surgical area. It is colourless, inexpensive , non flammable and has higher blood solubility than air. Carbon Dioxide stays in the blood for between 3 and 7 days.
· Carbon Dioxide can be made into a variety of intermediaries..... materials that then serve as feedstock for other industrial processes like methanol, syngas, and formic acid. CO2 can also be transformed by catalysts into polymers, the precursor to plastics, adhesives, and pharmaceuticals.
· As dry ice at -78 deg C it can be used to keep a variety of things at low temperatures
· Pure CO2 provides very deep weld penetration which is useful for welding thick material. A mixture of Argon and Carbon Dioxide produces superior results on thin materials using a MIG welder.
· Carbon Dioxide is used in fire extinguishers to put out fires. It works by removing the oxygen, essentially displacing it so that the fire cannot burn. It is cheap and widely available. It has the advantage that it can be used on electrical fires.
· Carbon Dioxide can be used to keep home furnishings clean. An American University has conducted research where Carbon Dioxide vapour is used to freeze home furnishings - this process removes allergy-causing substances and kills dust mites, reducing asthma symptoms.
· We are all familiar with Carbon Dioxide in all kinds of drink. Carbon Dioxide puts a bit of life into drinks.
The Part Carbon Dioxide Plays in Environmental Processes
Carbon Dioxide plays an important part in plant and animal process, such as photosynthesis and respiration. Green plants convert carbon dioxide and water using sunlight, into food compounds such as glucose (carbohydrates), and oxygen.
The reaction of photosynthesis is: 6 CO2 + 6 H2O = C6H12O6 + 6 O2
So: Carbon dioxide and water gives glucose and oxygen. Plants and animals in turn, convert the food compounds by combining them with oxygen to release energy for growth and other life activities. This process is respiration.
The reaction of respiration is:
C6H12O6 + 6 O2 = 6 CO2 + 6 H2O
As far as humans are concerned we breathe in Oxygen and that combines with the glucose in our blood to give us growth and energy. We exhale Carbon Dioxide and water vapour.
Photosynthesis and respiration play an important part in the carbon cycle.
So far we have seen many uses and the importance of Carbon Dioxide to life. Here is some more important information about carbon Dioxide.
The current level of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere is about 410 parts per million (ppm).
In Geological past, the level has reached as high as 7000ppm.
140 million years ago the level was 4000ppm. However, the level of CO2 in the atmosphere has been trending down since that time. The following graph shows that trend.
The Black dotted line on the graph shows the average decrease in CO2 levels. Note the projection on the far right. The graph is headed to the survival threshold for vegetation. Few people know that if CO2 levels fall below 150ppm – the red line on the graph, then most plants die. Without plants, humans and all life in fact, cannot survive. The small upturn at the end – the blue line, is a result of humans putting more CO2 into the atmosphere. We may be actually saving the planet by emitting more CO2.
Climate alarmists seem to be unaware of the danger of everyone trying to stop the emission of CO2. If this folly succeeds it may well kill us all.
HOW MUCH CARBON DIOXIDE CAN WE TOLERATE?
Higher Carbon Dioxide levels do NOT threaten human health. Recent research confirms that indoor Carbon Dioxide levels are much higher than any reasonably expected atmospheric levels of Carbon Dioxide, yet they pose no threat to human health.
Research from 2002 found schoolchildren in 120 randomly selected schools across two school districts in Texas experienced no ill health effects when peak Carbon Dioxide concentrations exceeded 1,000ppm in 88% of the classrooms and 3,000ppm in 21% of the classrooms.
Two articles from 2021 confirm much higher Carbon Dioxide levels do not harm peoples’ health, impose measurable negative physiological changes, or decrease cognitive functioning.
MORE CO2 STIMULATES PLANT GROWTH
Plants need Carbon Dioxide along with water and light to photosynthesise, and the more CO2 they receive, the better plants grow. Plants take in CO2 through small pores on the underside of the leaf (on Land plants), called stomata. Readers might remember in Secondary school being asked to bring along rhubarb leaves so that the stomata (easily seen under a microscope in rhubarb), could be studied. Specialised cells called guard cells surround stomata and function to open and close stomata pores. Stomata allow a plant to take in CO2 and also help to reduce water loss by closing when conditions are dry.
For a long time now, greenhouse plant growers have used CO2 to supplement plant growth. By various means they feed Carbon Dioxide into the greenhouse and this enhances plant growth by up to 40% on average. The CO2concentration is increased to between 700ppm and about 1000ppm. Plants show a positive response up to 1800ppm but higher levels may cause plant damage.
A Carbon Dioxide generator for large greenhouses. The generator operates with either propane or natural gas and has a pressure gauge to control the CO2 flow.
For very small greenhouses, growers use a boost bucket with a pump that helps control CO2 concentration. Organic waste can decompose in plastic containers and the CO2 produced can be used by plants. Dry ice (frozen CO2), can also be chopped up and put in the bucket and the gaseous CO2 given off regulated by a pump.
Increased CO2 levels stimulate plant growth
Bushels of Grain per Acre Harvested Worldwide 1936/7 to 2016/17:
The blue bar graph shows the amount planted. Note the slight decrease from 1926/27. As CO2 levels increased- the black line, the grain harvested increased along with it.(Red line).
In spite of what many people may think, the whole world has increased its greenery substantially in the past thirty years.
CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS FROM INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY HAVE DRIVEN HUGE GROWTH IN TREES AND OTHER PLANTS WORLDWIDE.
THE SAHEL IS GREENING
The people living in the Sahel, a semi-arid area just south of the Sahara Desert, spanning the entire African continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, were suffering from several devastating droughts and famines between the late 1960’s and the early 1990’s. Now the Sahara is actually shrinking, with vegetation arising on land where there was nothing but sand and rock before. The southern border of the Sahara has been retreating since the early 1980’s, making farming viable again in what were some of the most arid parts of Africa. There has been a spectacular regeneration of vegetation in northern Burkina Faso, which was devastated by drought and advancing desert 20 years ago. It is now growing so much greener that families who fled to wetter coastal regions are starting to come back.
Vegetation has also increased in the past 15 years in southern Mauritania, north-western Niger, central Chad, much of Sudan and parts of Eritrea. One cause of greening has been the increase in rainfall since the mid 1980’s. The other factor is the increase in CO2 concentration. This enhances the water-use efficiency of plants and enables them to grow in areas that were once too dry for them. More plants, means more water vapour into the air from the plants, and hence more rain.
In the map below, the Sahel is shown in orange. The greening of the Sahel and the Sahara is not unprecedented. During the Holocene Climate optimum between 9,000 and 4,000 BC the middle of the optimum was possibly 2-5 deg C warmer than now, the Northern half of Africa received more abundant and stable rainfall. What is now the Sahara Desert was then a green savannah. Big lakes and rivers existed there until 6,000 years ago.
In spite of the gloomy predictions of more droughts and famines, vegetation in the Sahel has significantly increased in the last three decades. This has been a very welcome and very beneficial development for the people living in the Sahel. Rising CO2 levels might even, if sustained for a few more decades, green the Sahara. This would be a truly tremendous prospect.
This article has highlighted the importance of Carbon Dioxide. Without it we could not survive. It must not fall below 150 ppm. More CO2, NOT less, is vital for increased crop growth to feed a growing world population. Finally, we have seen that the increased CO2 has brought increased greening to parts of Northern Africa. If the Sahara greens then that would be extra space for our growing world population.
Ian Bradford, a science graduate, is a former teacher, lawyer, farmer and keen sportsman, who is writing a book about the fraud of anthropogenic climate change.
In the map below, the Sahel is shown in orange. The greening of the Sahel and the Sahara is not unprecedented. During the Holocene Climate optimum between 9,000 and 4,000 BC the middle of the optimum was possibly 2-5 deg C warmer than now, the Northern half of Africa received more abundant and stable rainfall. What is now the Sahara Desert was then a green savannah. Big lakes and rivers existed there until 6,000 years ago.
In spite of the gloomy predictions of more droughts and famines, vegetation in the Sahel has significantly increased in the last three decades. This has been a very welcome and very beneficial development for the people living in the Sahel. Rising CO2 levels might even, if sustained for a few more decades, green the Sahara. This would be a truly tremendous prospect.
This article has highlighted the importance of Carbon Dioxide. Without it we could not survive. It must not fall below 150 ppm. More CO2, NOT less, is vital for increased crop growth to feed a growing world population. Finally, we have seen that the increased CO2 has brought increased greening to parts of Northern Africa. If the Sahara greens then that would be extra space for our growing world population.
Ian Bradford, a science graduate, is a former teacher, lawyer, farmer and keen sportsman, who is writing a book about the fraud of anthropogenic climate change.
10 comments:
it is developments on a scale of scores, hundreds and perhaps thousands of years which matter. The world is not free to adapt as in former times. People and animals cannot freely relocate in the vast numbers now involved.
How refreshing to read this article against a backdrop of mischievous misinformation spread by Stuff and their squadron of dedicated Climate Alarmists. When you look at the damage being done to our economy and energy independence in the name of Ardern’s “Nuclear Moment”, the immorality of brainwashing of our children with Climate falsehoods one wonders if this unscientific madness will ever end?
Hard to believe Bradford is a science graduate. I on the other hand have taught senior high school science for 40 years.
The word 'poisonous' is meaningless unless the dose is specified. Pure oxygen under pressure is toxic. If you drink 10 litres of water rapidly, death results, as the water is absorbed faster than the kidneys can excrete it and the cells absorb the water and swell. Copper is an essential micronutrient, but if you drink 100 ml 10 perent copper sulfate, you'll probably die. At atmospheric concentrations, CO2 is non toxic, but 10 percent CO2 results in convulsions and death.
I could go on, but you get my point.
Martin
I think it's pretty clear that Ian is quoting claims from climate alarmists when talking about CO2 being poisonous. He then goes on to put today's level of CO2 (410ppm) in perspective by showing what higher levels humans can tolerate without any ill effects. Earth has never known CO2 greater than 1%
Nowhere does he mention a figure of 10% because that is a nonsensical level of CO2 that has never even been close to being reached in the entire history of the Earth.
As you say, even Oxygen is "poisonous" under the wrong conditions. As is Nitrogen and every other gas in the atmosphere.
Your criticisms are completely misplaced, irrelevant to the discussion and you seem to have missed the point.
DeeM
"As you say, even Oxygen is "poisonous" under the wrong conditions. As is Nitrogen and every other gas in the atmosphere.
Pure nitrogen is NOT toxic. Breathing pure nitrogen is fatal because it's 0% oxygen.
Martin
I'm sure that's a real consolation to people breathing Nitrogen that they're not being poisoned.
Either way, you're DEAD.
And you could argue that if there's too much Nitrogen then that's what's killed you. Just like if there's too much CO2. All a matter of perspective.
Don't want to stray any further down the rabbit-hole of irrelevance which further detracts from the point of Ian's article.
The point of this article is that there is no evidence for C02 being a driver of climate. In reality C02 follows warming, which makes sense because animals produce C02 and most animals thrive in warmer environments.
The Climate Change Hoax is another doomsday cult of religion belief based upon endless repetition that has nothing to do with reality. We aren't all underwater and the world hasn't failed. None of the doomsday predictions have come true. Indeed even the name has had to be changed from global cooling to global warming to climate change. All of it pushed by Darwinian Eugenicists.
This nonsense continues to exist because of the amount of money spent on trying to make it true including 'climate scientists' and 'climate journalists.' Most people believe the lies because they're endlessly repeated, but none of the doom and gloom predictions has come true.
The world is not on fire, however the souls of the wicked people who are scaring an entire generation of children into believing this nonsense will be.
Carbon dioxide is not quite so harmless as depicted in this article. Senior chemistry technicians are aware that judgement is impaired by levels such as can be imposed on the air in a lift by carrying an insulated bucket of dry ice in which some containers or specimens are being cooled. You can see the fog pouring over the rim of the bucket. Once partly mixed with the air in the lift, this carbon dioxide can distort thinking, which can lead to misguided or even dangerous behaviour.
If you are in a small space with higher concentrations of CO2 it's not the CO2 that causes the problem, it is the lack of Oxygen. The CO2 displaces the oxygen. Submariners in the second WW in particular had to endure CO2 concentrations of 8000ppm. They survived OK. WE breathe out CO2. Its all through our body in tissues. The concentration around out nose when we breathe out is many thousands of parts per million. It is of course quickly diluted by the air. Has anyone thought about the concentration of CO2 in those masks we were wearing? If a container of cyanide gas was waved in front of our nose we would be dead in seconds. I think most people understand what a poisonous gas is.
Robert Mann
Yeah, you hear stories of people in packed lifts passing out all the time!!
Of course, if we all decided to carry a bucket of dry-ice around with us, which readily sublimates to a gas, while travelling in a lift then it could be a different story. Especially for the vertically challenged, because they'd succumb first, what with CO2 being heavier than air. You could always stand on them until the door opened, though.
How do people manage to get to the top of the Burj Khalifa without fainting I wonder, or the Sky Tower even? Made even worse by wearing face-masks and inhaling some of the CO2 your body is desperately trying to get rid of.
It's a miracle!!
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