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Ozone/Global Warming
Defining Ozone Depletion and Global Warming. Don't worry about the world running out of oil--we've got COAL to replace it!
Date: 11/16/2005 11:10:04 PM ( 8 y ) ... viewed 775 times Ozoning Out On Climate Confusion
By Umbra Fisk
14 Nov 2005
Dear Umbra,
Any chance that the most extreme of the peak-oil folks are correct, and that in spite of our thoughtlessness, we just won't have enough oil to totally destroy the ozone layer?
Dan Wasson
Pittsburgh, Penn.
Dearest Dan,
Oil has very little to do with the ozone layer, but it does have to do with global warming. Global warming and ozone depletion are, for our daily purposes, two separate issues. They both involve gaseous, human-generated emissions, mysterious atmospheric phenomena, and wishing we had paid attention in chemistry class, but the similarity stops there.
The ozone layer, up in the stratosphere, blocks UVB rays from entering our atmosphere in large numbers. Ozone depletion is attributed to anthropogenic gases (chlorofluorocarbons, methyl bromide, and others) cleverly known as "ozone depleting substances." These are expelled down here in the atmosphere, then travel up through the troposphere and into the stratosphere, where UV rays bust them up, causing them to release atoms that eat away at the ozone layer. Infamous ODS sources are refrigerants, including those in air conditioners; aerosols; solvents; methyl bromide, which is a soil fumigant; and foam-blowing agents. If you wish to understand all you can about ozone depletion, please visit the lovely EPA site on the topic.
Oil and the burning of oil, on the other hand, are associated with global climate change, as the burning of oil releases "greenhouse gases." What I think you're asking is whether we will run out of oil before we completely mangle our climate. If the most extreme of the peak-oil folks are correct, and we have reached or passed the point at which world oil production will start a steady decline, it may be that oil will not deal the final maiming blows. Not to worry. Coal is ready to step right up and grab the bludgeon. We have plenty of coal.
But according to some climate analysts, we have already gone past the point of no return. We're hosed! Don't worry, have a home brew with Dick, Gale, and George! They're not worried! Wouldn't they tell us if they were worried?
Sarcastically,
Umbra
Grist Magazine: Environmental News and Commentary
©2005. Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Gloom and doom with a sense of humor®.
RELATED ARTICLES:
As oil reserves decline world-wide, coal may replace oil as the major resource for fuel. Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of man-made CO2. New technologies may make coal-burning less polluting, but are being met with resistance by the coal industry... and then there is the consequence to the Earth from surface-stripping coal from the ground in massive mines.
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