….turns out to be another vast exaggeration! Yes, it’s rained. We’ve been told that the wind would gust to 80 mph but all we’ve had is a slight breeze. Proof positive I believe of some bizarre attempt to worry everyone. Every weather event, even trivial ones, keep being styled by the TV news as unprecedented. This untruth is being pedalled by those who regard themselves as “authority”, even if they’re merely elected or unelected government officials. We used to be controlled by the threat of Russian nuclear weapons but now it’s the impending doom of global warming. We may not be able to buy a petrol or diesel car in as little as 12 years. What affordable alternative is there? Cars may once again become the preserve only of the wealthy. Electric cars are waiting for the invention of a suitable battery. Lithium ion batteries are an order of magnitude away from what is needed and improvements can only ever be incremental. They are typically lasting 50,000 to 70,000 miles and replacement costs are so high that cars will generally be scraped at this point. Unless someone invents something unimaginably good I’ll never be able to drive the 268 miles to visit my son. So let me tell some truth.
Most of the carbon dioxide is dissolved in the sea. About 50 times the amount in the atmosphere. When the world warms the sea can no longer dissolve as much carbon dioxide so the level in the atmosphere rises. Simple science. Historically warming has always come first, CO2 levels rising later. So it’s obvious that CO2 levels are a consequence, not a cause of warming. One of the top supporters of the global warming hypothesis (I’m giving the gist here, not quoting verbatum.) advises that when confronted with this fact a GW supporter should respond with “yes, warming releases CO2. This will cause between 15% and 78% further warming”. It’s an admission that it’s all a lie. I used to, back in the old days when I had a real job, sell spectrophotometers. These are just the instruments needed to prove or disprove the CO2/GW contention. I’m therefore unusually well placed to make informed comment on this subject.
Today was cloudy. Because water vapour and clouds cause the greenhouse effect, which keeps the world warm without overheating it, today was quite nice. Water vapour is 10-20% of the atmosphere ie 10,000 to 20,000 parts per million. CO2 is less then 400 ppm. Regardless of other factors that’s too big a difference to ignore. Yes, CO2 levels have increased due to burning of fossil fuels but they are still at a low level. Plants grow better with more CO2, feeding a hungry world. The ground was wet and muddy today but nothing unprecedented.
We must find a way to stop the cutting down of forests, which are the lungs of the Earth, converting CO2 into oxygen. I don’t suppose the cutting down of our larch trees due to disease on my local hill, Healey Nab, is of any real significance. It’s just annoying, especially since the area gives me year round off road riding. The tree felling still hasn’t started so I managed to get 3 laps in. The wet ground made the climbs hard work but fortunately the branches and broken twigs have been cleared over the last few days. This has restored the downhills to their usual level of excellence. There were a few other riders today, 2 who told me they were there for the first time. How different they might find it next time with around a third of the trees cleared. The larch and oak will be gone so I imagine that birch will dominate, since they are fast growing.
I enjoyed my ride and put some effort in to help my training. I just need the weather to improve now to let me get some longer rides in. I hope to ride on Tuesday or Wednesday when I’ll release more water vapour (as sweat) and CO2 when I breath hard. Maybe Global Warming is my fault?
Mountainbiker 