The Truth about CO2
Global Warming activists will tell you that CO2 is bad and dangerous. The EPA has even classified it as a pollutant. But is it? Patrick Moore provides some surprising facts about the benefits of CO2 that you won't hear in the current debate.
- Carbon dioxide is NOT a pollutant. In fact, it is GOOD for the planet.
Carbon dioxide is essential to life, and studies show that increases in CO2 benefit the planet.
View sourceResearch shows that increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide leads to increased levels of photosynthesis in plants.
View sourceIncreasing photosynthesis in plants increases their yield, thus increasing the global food supply.
View sourceWATCH: Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore on “The Truth about Carbon Dioxide.”
View sourceRelated reading: Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout – Dr. Patrick Moore
View sourceRelated reading: Climate Change Reconsidered – Dr. Craig Idso
View sourceRelated reading: The Many Benefits of Atmospheric CO2 Enrichment – Dr. Craig Idso
View sourceRelated reading: Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming – Dr. Craig Idso
View source- MYTH: If we pump more CO2 into the atmosphere, we're going to alter the climate catastrophically.
Carbon dioxide is essential to life, and studies show that increases in CO2 benefit the planet.
View sourceResearch shows that increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide leads to increased levels of photosynthesis in plants.
View sourceIncreasing photosynthesis in plants increases their yield, thus increasing the global food supply.
View sourceWATCH: Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore on “The Truth about Carbon Dioxide.”
View sourceRelated reading: Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout – Dr. Patrick Moore
View sourceRelated reading: Climate Change Reconsidered – Dr. Craig Idso
View sourceRelated reading: The Many Benefits of Atmospheric CO2 Enrichment – Dr. Craig Idso
View sourceRelated reading: Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming – Dr. Craig Idso
View source- High concentrations of carbon dioxide increase plant photosynthesis. In other words, more CO2 can be good for plants and the food supply.
Research shows that increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide leads to increased levels of photosynthesis in plants.
View sourceIncreasing photosynthesis in plants increases their yield, thus increasing the global food supply.
View sourceCarbon dioxide is essential to life, and studies show that increases in CO2 benefit the planet.
View sourceWATCH: Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore on “The Truth about Carbon Dioxide.”
View sourceRelated reading: Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout – Dr. Patrick Moore
View sourceRelated reading: Climate Change Reconsidered – Dr. Craig Idso
View sourceRelated reading: The Many Benefits of Atmospheric CO2 Enrichment – Dr. Craig Idso
View sourceRelated reading: Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming – Dr. Craig Idso
View source- Why do climate change alarmists never mention the good side effects of warmer temperatures? Because they aren’t intellectually honest.
One of the indirect benefits of warmer temperatures is that fewer people will freeze to death. Cold temperatures are much more lethal than hot temperatures.
View sourceResearch shows that increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide increases levels of photosynthesis in plants and reverses damage done to plants by droughts, all leading to a greater global food supply.
View sourceWATCH: Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore on “The Truth about Carbon Dioxide.”
View sourceRelated reading: Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout – Dr. Patrick Moore
View sourceRelated reading: Climate Change Reconsidered – Dr. Craig Idso
View sourceRelated reading: The Many Benefits of Atmospheric CO2 Enrichment – Dr. Craig Idso
View sourceRelated reading: Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming – Dr. Craig Idso
View source- Are fossil fuels bad for the planet? Actually, they’re as green as you get—made from 100% organic material.
As Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore points out, “All of the carbon in the fossil fuels we are burning for energy today was once in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide before it was consumed by plankton in the sea and plants on the land…In other words, fossil fuels are 100 percent organic and were produced with solar energy. Sounds positively green.”
View sourceCarbon dioxide is essential to life, and studies show that increases in CO2 benefit the planet.
View sourceWATCH: Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore on “The Truth about Carbon Dioxide.”
View sourceRelated reading: Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout – Dr. Patrick Moore
View sourceRelated reading: Climate Change Reconsidered – Dr. Craig Idso
View sourceRelated reading: The Many Benefits of Atmospheric CO2 Enrichment – Dr. Craig Idso
View sourceRelated reading: Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming – Dr. Craig Idso
View source- Is more CO2 bad for the planet? Not likely. For most of the history of life on earth, CO2 has been at much higher levels than it is today.
As Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore points out, “During the Cambrian explosion, when multi-cellular life first came on the scene, CO2 levels were as much as 10 times higher than they are today. From a big picture perspective, we're actually living in a low carbon dioxide era. The optimum level of CO2 for plant growth, for example, is four to five times what is currently found in our atmosphere.”
View sourceCarbon dioxide is essential to life, and studies show that increases in CO2 benefit the planet.
View sourceWATCH: Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore on “The Truth about Carbon Dioxide.”
View sourceRelated reading: Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout – Dr. Patrick Moore
View sourceRelated reading: Climate Change Reconsidered – Dr. Craig Idso
View sourceRelated reading: The Many Benefits of Atmospheric CO2 Enrichment – Dr. Craig Idso
View sourceRelated reading: Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming – Dr. Craig Idso
View source
What are two of the dirtiest words in the English language? Well, if you're concerned with Global Warming as so many people are these days, the answer is obvious. The two words are "Carbon Dioxide." Or as it is known by its chemical symbol -- CO2. One atom of carbon and two atoms of oxygen. If we pump much more of it into the atmosphere, the argument goes, we're going to alter the climate. Catastrophically.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC, CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, which constitute 85% of our energy use must be reduced to zero by 2100. If we don't save ourselves from ourselves, we're toast. That's the claim.
Here's what strange, though. All life is carbon-based, and the carbon for all that life originates from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. All of the carbon in the fossil fuels we are burning for energy today was once in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide before it was consumed by plankton in the sea and plants on the land. Coal, oil, and natural gas are the remains of those plankton and plants that have been transformed by heat and pressure deep in the earth's crust. In other words, fossil fuels are 100 percent organic and were produced with solar energy. Sounds positively green.
If there were no carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, the Earth would be a dead planet. Period. Talk about catastrophic climate change. Take away CO2 and you'd have it. And yet, the US Environmental Protection Agency has deemed this essential ingredient for life a pollutant! But, how can something that makes life possible be bad?
Before I deal with that question, let's get clear on our terms. It has become common to refer to the emissions from burning fossil fuels for energy as "carbon" emissions. That is entirely misleading. Carbon dioxide is not carbon. Carbon dioxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas which is an indispensable food source for all living things. Can you have too much of it? In theory, yes. That's what climate alarmists say is happening now -- CO2 levels are getting too high. Are they right? Well, if we look at the big picture we find something surprising.
For most of the history of life on earth carbon dioxide has been present in the atmosphere at much higher levels than it is today. During the Cambrian explosion, when multi-cellular life first came on the scene, CO2 levels were as much as 10 times higher than they are today. From a big picture perspective, we're actually living in a low carbon dioxide era. The optimum level of CO2 for plant growth, for example, is four to five times what is currently found in our atmosphere. That's why greenhouse growers worldwide actually inject additional CO2 into their greenhouses -- they want to promote plant growth. Likewise, higher CO2 levels in the global atmosphere will boost food and forest productivity. That will come in handy since by mid-century we will have to feed 8-10 billion people.
In fact, we're already seeing the positive effects of increased carbon dioxide now. Satellite measurements have noted the "greening of the earth" as crops and forests grow due to our higher levels of CO2. It turns out that carbon dioxide are not "dirty" words after all. We should celebrate CO2 as the giver of life that it is.
I'm Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace for Prager University.
Stay up to date on our latest releases
Recommended for you
The Great Thomas Sowell
Fewer Penalties, More Crime
The Georgia Reform Law: Who Wants Fair Elections?
What Do We Do About the Homeless?
John Adams: American Founder and Second President
Get Politics Out of Sports
Overmedicated America
Are Fathers Necessary?
PragerU is changing the minds of millions worldwide. Help us keep our videos FREE!
Help support our mission
To make a donation using PayPal, click here.
To make a donation with Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency, click here.
At $35 or more you’ll be a PragerUnited Member
- Free merch every quarter
- Insider updates
- Free Annual Membership Sticker
Prager University is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Tax ID: 27-1763901. Your contribution is fully tax-deductible in the USA.