By Arend Folkens
When I read that ASUP passed a resolution to help establish a composting system on campus, and stated that the resolution would fit into the University's plan to be completely carbon neutral by 2040, I laughed out loud.
Now, I'm not from southern California, so I normally don't LOL, and I was hoping that this statement was The Beacon being facetious (since it was the April 1st edition and all). But since I read two weeks ago that Fr. Beauchamp and UP faculty members are actively working towards making UP carbon neutral by 2040, I stopped laughing and thought to myself, "really?"
First off, I continually hear from Al Gore and his followers that carbon dioxide is a pollutant. Let me remind you that this "pollutant" is a life giving natural gas and without it, everything from animals breathing, to trees growing and phytoplankton feeding, becomes impossible.
Now that we understand CO2 is important to life, let's take a look at the concentration and prevalence of CO2.
Right now, CO2 makes up 0.038 percent of our atmosphere, or 380 parts per million.
To put this in historical perspective, during the Ordovician Period 460 million years ago, CO2 concentrations were 0.44 percent or 4,400 parts per million.
Between the years 900-1300, CO2 was 0.20 percent (2,000 parts per million) and the weather was so warm, that the tree line in the Alps was 2000 meters higher than now, wineries in Germany were able to grow grapes 200 meters higher than now, and glaciers that have been melting and retreating since 1850 are uncovering plant remnants that were growing during this time.
So, with so much warming and CO2 back then, why are we so hysterical about our current 0.038 percent of CO2 in the atmosphere now?
The most active warming element in the atmosphere is the 95 percent of water vapor that forms a protective layer around the Earth, not CO2. What benefit do we get if UP is carbon neutral? How much will it cost to be carbon neutral? Is this a justified cost if 700 years ago, CO2 was significantly higher than it is now? And 2000 parts per million was accomplished without the use of cars, planes and factories.
Has anyone even thought about that fact that when food decomposes, it releases CO2 into the atmosphere anyway, not to mention it smells horrible and is a terrific breeding ground for bacteria?
Many people have probably seen Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," where he presents a "hockey stick graph," that shows historical "normal temperatures" and then a sudden increase in temperatures starting in the year 2000.
But did you know that the author of that graph, Michael Mann, was a fraud? A mathematician named Steven Mclntyre discovered that Mann used an algorithm that significantly and artificially inflated the warming curve.
In addition, he discovered serious errors in the selection of the data and the location of the places, as well as the use of incorrect data (also known as cherry picking the data). And this is just one of numerous cases of fraud that has plagued global warming alarmists' "science" and the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
By now, you probably think I'm a selfish, pompous, arrogant, non-tree loving Republican whose only interest is myself. This is not the case (look at my major, I am quite caring), and with my father being a marine biologist, both he and I look past the politics and emotions guiding global warming, but look at the scientific facts - the real facts. Not the falsified, fraudulent or cherry picked facts.
Instead of seeing an increase in CO2 and blaming people for a rise in temperature, I challenge you to study history and the big ball of fire in our sky, and educate yourself regarding the correlation between sunspots and increased temperatures.
You'll find that an increase in CO2 lags 600-900 years behind an increase in temperature and that an increase in temperature is guided by an increase in sun activity (sun spots). As the school year comes to an end, I hope you are all able to enjoy the benefits of global warming.
Driving in convertible cars, swimming at the beach, sun tanning and wearing shorts to name a few. All of these activities are made possible by global warming.
Lastly, if you are not a fan of Prius cars, humor yourself by watching the South Park episode titled "Smug Alert."
Arend Folkens is a senior
nursing major.
