[pct-l] How We Learn Stuff

[bmclaughlin at bigplanet.com (Brian McLaughlin)]

> What is the relationship between CO2 and climate?
> Is there anything meaningful we can do to decrease CO2 emissions?
> Will efforts to reduce CO2 emissions actually stabilize climate?
> Will I be required to give up my alcohol stove?
> When I breathe too hard going uphill, do I endanger the planet?
> What about cows?

Read up about the carbon cycle, Wayne. It's fascinating.

Oversimplified, the carbon cycle is a bit like the water cycle,
where water cycles from the ocean into clouds, into rain,
into surface and ground water. Similarly, carbon cycles 
between CO2 in the atmosphere and being fixed in carbon
compounds in plant and animal life, which decay when
they die and relase CO2 back into the atmosphere. Oil
and coal are like ground water, being largely out of the
cycle for long periods of time.

When the earth has been much warmer in the past, a much
larger amount of carbon was in circulation. There was
also very lush tropical-like plant growth over much of
the land area - including Antarctica and the Arctic. This
is the famous swamp-plant life that made coal and oil -
the fossil fuels.

Not only have humans been burning fossil fuels back into
atmospheric gases, but we've also been cutting down
forests, which are the main sinks for fixing carbon in
nonatmospheric form.

To bring this back on topic, those fantastic trees we
hike among are not just beautiful and awesome, but
they also are carbon sinks. If you want to do something
about excess CO2, plant more trees and protect the 
ones we love to hike among.