re: Terrified of climate change

quote:

---

I think this requires a slow process of de-programming. I don’t think you can go full bore right from the start. I’m starting with the obvious stuff.

---

Start with predictions that did not come true. Then drop it for some time.

After a period of time hit her with another prediction that didn't come true and leave her with the following hook: "I can tell you why their predictions didn't come true? What to learn some science?" Then drop it.

Once she is ready for science discuss the following:

1. The carbon cycle and the beneficial effects that CO2 has on global greening.

2. The difference between gas concentration in terms of ppm at various elevations. People believe that 400 ppm at sea level is the same as 400 ppm at 10,000 feet. It's not.

3. Teach her to understand the ideal gas law. The purpose is for her to understand the relationships between pressure, temperature and molecular makeup.

4. The nature of CO2 and it's ability to absorb heat in the IR range is logarithmic. It's measured in power per square area (W/m^2) AKA radiative forcing. That is, most of CO2's ability to absorb heat from IR takes place below 400 ppm (at sea level). It's ability to absorb heat above 400 ppm reduces logarithmic.

5. Explain to her why it's important for life on earth that CO2 is the heaviest gas in the atmosphere and H2O is the lightest.

6. Explain to her that H2O in the atmosphere accounts for 94% of the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere. Without it we'd be dead. And the biggest reason for that is H2O is the only gas in our atmosphere that goes though all phase changes in our atmosphere...gas, liquid solid. That takes a lot of energy.


Then talk about man's contribution.

1. Sure man does produce CO2 as a by-product of combustion. But look at all the good that combustion has brought to mankind. Transportation, energy for heating and cooling homes and buildings, medical and scientific advancements, fertilizers to grow food and feed the world, ect. The benefits far outweigh the costs.

2. Explain to her that incomplete combustion is more of an issue in terms of air pollution than CO2 emissions. That's why we should support the use of catalytic converters on combustion engines and exhaust scrubbers at plants. We want CO2 and H2O as the by-product from complete combustion...not the other by-products that are considered pollutants from incomplete combustion.

3. Explain to her about the fact man's agriculture in the U.S. is leading to more temperate temperatures especially in the U.S. Why? Because irrigation is spreading water and greening to once arid regions of the U.S. Water evaporation during the day from these newly green regions are making temperatures more temperate. That is, we are seeing higher lows and lower highs...that is less extremes in temperature. The raw temperature data from NOAA shows this.

Show here that there is ZERO correlation between the raw temperature data and CO2 concentrations.

Explain to her that the temperature date is manipulated to cool the past and warm the near present.

Explain the motivation behind manipulating the data is to acquire more government funding.

Explain to her that government has an interest in making CO2 a bad guy so they can tax it.

Explain to her that Wall Street supports taxing CO2 because they can make billions off of playing broker buying and selling carbon credits for big O&G and utilities.

quote:

---

But recently she told me that she was feeling depressed because of how bad off the planet is .

---

Ask her to give you examples of this.