Friday night climate rap: What's up with those greenhouse effect deniers?

To the science deniers who claim the greenhouse effect violates the second law of thermodynamics -- it does not.

The Second Law forbids the flow of heat energy from a cold region (atmosphere) to a warmer one (earth’s surface) without supplying additional energy in the form of external work.

The Second Law is not violated by the greenhouse effect.

Reason: External energy is provided by downward solar shortwave radiation.

Sunlight passes through the atmosphere without being absorbed.

The greenhouse effect is from down-welling emissions from the atmosphere of radiation.

That radiation was previously emitted upward from the earth trying to cool itself.

There’s a net upward transfer of heat energy from the warmer surface to the colder atmosphere when ALL energy flows are taken into account.

Energy flows include non-radiative convection and latent heat transfer associated with water vapor.

False claims that the greenhouse effect doesn’t exist are from misunderstandings about energy.

This is the basic science behind the claims of man made global warming.

But there is no way to measure exactly what man made greenhouse gasses are doing to the temperature of the troposphere.

That temperature has been increasing for the past 45 years ... but also decreasing for the 35 years before that, which adds up to a big question mark.

Unfortunately, it seems that everyone who has ever taken a science course "knows" what CO2 does, or doesn't, do.

Some people claim the future global average temperature can be predicted many decades into the future.

The climate predictions have been poor for over 60 years, but everyone holds on to their pet theories like they were a solid gold coin.

Climate science is far from settled.

But a lot of people think it is -- although they have different views of exactly what "settled" means.

We know with high confidence the past 45 years of global warming were pleasant, harmed no one, and are not a trend that must be stopped.

Modern climate science is well summarized by this 2009 quote from a real climate scientist:

“Future generations will wonder in bemused amazement that the early 21st century’s developed world went into hysterical panic ... on the basis of gross exaggerations of highly uncertain computer projections ... and proceeded to contemplate a roll-back of the industrial age.”   Richard Lindzen Ph.D.,     

             MIT professor of atmospheric science

 

Why the hysteria about "climate change" ?

 

H. L Mencken explained it best:
"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule."

 

Modified slightly for this blog:

"The urge to save humanity from harmless carbon dioxide is a socialist false front for their urge to rule."