16.07.2009: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and nuclear power will increase global warming say experts of the University of Sweden [1]   pdf Download
The The Obama /Steven Chu administration plan to use Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and nuclear power to tackle the climate change. Following the data of the Nordell and Gervet this may be a wrong decision.
According to Nordell 2003 the earth experienced thermal equilibrium over longer time-scales. Net incoming solar energy and geothermal heat flow were counterbalanced by a net heat outflow emitted to outer space until 1880.

Beginning with the industrial revolution heat dissipation from the global use of non-renewable energy sources has resulted in additional net heating. The resulting thermal pollution contributes to global warming until the global temperature has reached a level where this heat is also emitted to space. The author says that the additional heat from the use of fossil fuels and nuclear power is the main source of thermal pollution.

There are no consistent facts which back the assumption that greenhouse gases are responsible for rising temperatures, it is based only on the observation that global warming coincides with increasing emissions of carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases from about 275 ppm in 1880 to 370 ppm today. This, however does not include the fact that the heat flow from nuclear power does not depend on CO2 emission and is thus forgotten in global net heat flow.

Nordel stresses that 98% of the greenhouse effect is caused by water vapour and clouds which absorb infrared sunlight in the atmosphere and only 2% by CO2 and others.

The authors conclude that efforts to reduce the CO2 emissions do not reduce the global net heat generation. Nuclear power harms the climate at most because of the large amounts of heat generated by nuclear power production. Therefore renewable earthbound energy and solar energy should be used to avoid to disturb the energy balance of Earth.

Global energy accumulation and net heat emission [2]   Download
Bo Nordell and Bruno Gervet 2009 found that heat accumulating since 1880 in air, ground, and water causes climate change. To explain this phenomena the net heat emissions on Earth must be considered.

The authors stress that global air temperature increase is an inadequate measure of global warming and suggest to use the global net energy. The heat accumulated in the atmosphere corresponds to a mere 6.6% of global warming, while the remaining heat is stored in the ground (31.5%), melting ice (33.4%) and sea water (28.5%).

The global use of fossil fuel and nuclear power was found to contribute to global warming. The authors recommend to reduce our reliance on burning fossil fuels and switch to renewables like wind power and solar energy are the main strategies to avoid climate change. Recommendations not to rely on carbon dioxide sequestration and nuclear energy are reiterated.

CO2 erroneously linked to global warming [3]
Matthevs and colleagues 2009 link carbon-climate response (CCR) allows CO(2)-induced global mean temperature change.
Definition of carbon-climate response (CCR)
Matthevs and colleagues define the carbon-climate response (CCR) as the ratio of temperature change to cumulative carbon emissions. They stress that CCR is approximately independent of both the atmospheric CO(2) concentration and its rate of change on these timescales.

The proportionality of global warming to cumulative carbon emissions is estimated by the authors to be in the range 1.0-2.1 degrees C per trillion tonnes of carbon. The authors point out that, following the data of their study, one tonne of carbon dioxide leads to 0.0000000000015 degrees of global temperature change. They conclude further that to restrict global warming to no more than 2 degrees total carbon emissions must be restricted, from now until forever to little more than half a trillion tonnes of carbon, or about as much again which ha been emitted since the beginning of the industrial revolution. [4]

Comment
Reading the study of Matthevs may lead to the erroneous assumptions that CO2 is the main cause of global warming. As explained by Nordell and Gervet 2009 [2] the CO2 concentration is only an indicator of the amount of carbon being released in the atmosphere. The so called “greenhouse gases” are responsible only for 2% of trapping heat. The huge 98% greenhouse effect comes from water vapour and clouds. Nordell says that input of non-renewable energy and nuclear energy are causing climate change. The authors calls to abandon plans on Carbon Capture and Store on non-renewable energy and avoid nuclear energy because both add external energy to the thermodynamic of the global system. Solar energy is being recommended by Nordell.


[1] Nordell, Bo: Thermal pollution causes global warming. Global and Planetary Change 38 (2003) 305– 312
http://www.ltu.se/polopoly_fs/1.5035!nordell%20gpc%20vol%2038%20issue%203-4.pdf

[2] Nordell, Bo; Gervet, Bruno: Global energy accumulation and net heat emission. Int. J. Global Warming, 2009, 1, 378-391 Global Warming is Global Energy Storage. Proceedings of the Global Conference on Global Warming-2008 (GCGW-08). 6-10 July 2008, Istanbul, Turkey. Paper No. 454
http://pure.ltu.se/ws/fbspretrieve/2090521

[3] Matthews, H.D.; Gillett, N.P.; Stott, P.A.; Zickfeld, K.: The proportionality of global warming to cumulative carbon emissions. Nature. 2009 Jun 11;459(7248):829-32.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19516338

[4] Concordia University: A New Measure of Global Warming from Carbon Emissions. Media Relations. Montreal/June 10, 2009
http://mediarelations.concordia.ca/pressreleases/archives/2009/06/a_new_measure_of_global_warmin_1.php

11.01.2009: IPCC climate change prevision confirmed by European Study [1]
Zorita, Stocker and Storch 2008 using the "Monte-Carlo-Simulation“ assessed the climate data of the years between 1880 and 1990, using two statistical null-hypotheses, autoregressive and long-memory. Following the results of their statistical research the scientists concluded that the frequency of warm record years after 1990 could not be an accident influenced by an external driver.
They stress that they could not specify individual responsible factors but is in full agreement with the results of the IPCC that the increased emission of greenhouse gases is mainly responsible for the most recent global warming

[1] Zorita, Eduardo; Stocker, Thomas; von Storch, Hans: How unusual is the recent series of warm years? Geophysical Research Letters, 2008; 35 (24): L24706 DOI: 10.1029/2008GL036228
http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2008/2008GL036228.shtml

11.01.2009: New climate report predicts a worst scenario than given by the
IPCC Report [1]
The report of the Global Carbon Project (GCP) concludes that far from slowing down, global carbon dioxide emissions are rising faster than ever. China (with 1,8 Billions tons) superseded the US (1.59 Billion Tons) as greatest emitter of greenhouse CO2 gas. Other developing countries India and Brazil are joining them.

According to the Global Carbon Project the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) rose from 1.8 ppm in 2006 to 2.2 ppm in 2007 and amounts now 383 ppm. The researchers of GCP stress that since 2000 the increase of CO2 emission has quadrupled compared with the foregoing decade. The emission growth rate is still higher than the worst scenario of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC.

The report says that the carbon dioxide of the atmosphere in 2007 increased about 37 per cent compared with 1750, before of the industrial revolution. The CO2 emission in 2007 10 billion tons, whereas 8.5 billion tons came from fossil fuels. Deforestation the situation of the ocean reduced their efficiency to bind CO2 by 5 percent. [2]

[1] Planet ARK: Global Carbon
Emission Rising Rapidly. 26.09.2008
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/50370/story.htm

[2] IPCC: Climate Change 2007, Synthesis Report
http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-syr.htm