Letter: Climate Change Emergency? It’s Overrated

Published on: 3 Sep, 2019
Updated on: 3 Sep, 2019

From John Armstrong

In response to: We Can’t Risk Inaction on Climate Change

I think that Mark Bray-Parry’s statement that CO2 makes up 60% of greenhouse gasses gives the impression that there is a lot of it. But along with other greenhouse gasses, it makes only 0.04% of the atmosphere and the human contribution is, of course, much less than that.

That is not to say that it has no effect, greenhouse gasses do punch above their weight; without them, the surface temperature of the Earth would be minus 18 C. I’m not sure if that is the sunny side or the dark side; though it would make little difference as there would be global glaciation.

It’s cold out there in space, about minus 454 Fahrenheit or minus 270 Celsius. All that stands between us and the deep space cold, is a sheet of paper over a basketball, so warm sounds good to me.

When it comes to a natural correction of high levels of CO2, levels have been much higher in the past, about 7,000 parts per million (PPM) compared to 405 PPM now of which 135 PPM are down to us.

If the Industrial Revolution had never happened CO2 would stand now at 270 PPM and scientists feel that 200 PPM is dangerously low and could trigger an Ice Age. Without the Industrial Revolution, CO2 levels would have been ever downwards and a permanent Ice Age would be inevitable. We have saved the world from a fate worse than warming.

Even when CO2 was 7,000 PPM, runaway global warming did not take place. The natural consequence of high CO2 during the Carboniferous period was much larger plants which grew to absorb the available food. The same on a smaller scale would happen again. I believe that vegetation near motorways grows better than that further away. CO2 is not a pollutant; it is a food.

I note that Mark Bray-Parry has to go back 49 years to blame the US for the largest CO2 emissions. I think somehow that Trump will have his work cut out to win over the Bray-Parry household with chlorinated chicken.

I think congratulations are in order actually to the US for their massive reduction in CO2. They had to send their steelworks and coal mines to China to achieve it, as did we, but still the Chinese have obtained a higher standard of living than hitherto, UK foodbanks notwithstanding.

Do readers know that in order for China to dump cheap steel on the world markets they had to dig up Australian iron ore by the cubic mile? And the Australians let them do it.

Mr Bray-Parry seems to suggest that somehow we have to make amends for the Industrial Revolution, take responsibility. He mentions per capita emissions.

That seems to suggest that we are going to have to pay again. Not only have we saved the world from an Ice Age, billions of people are now alive who would not otherwise be, child mortality globally is much reduced and falling, people are better fed, better medicated, living longer, glittering cities sprinkle the globe, global educational standards are rocketing.

The Industrial Revolution sparked an explosion in science and technology and, over time, pulled billions out of poverty. I do not think we have to apologise for that. We should celebrate it and frankly, the world should be grateful, it should not seek compensation which western snowflakes seem happy to provide.

The Climate Emergency? It is amazing what the left-wing mind can think up.

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