Quote:
Originally Posted by Xist
Neil, how much fossil fuels did humans burn in 1850 compared to now? This says there were 1.2 billion people. So, 168 years ago 1.2 billion people started burning fossil fuels?
https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...tml#post578893
https://www.ecowatch.com/chatham-hou...288764699.html
This says that coal has about the same energy content per pound as wood, but has half the volume. However that article describes how coal is more convenient in other ways.
Those sources say that coal is not any dirtier than wood, just more convenient, and that convenience is responsible for global warming? |
Trees grow by pulling carbon from the air, so when it is burned, OR when it rots - that carbon goes back into the air. So, it does not change the climate.
Coal is carbon that has been underground for million and millions of years. When it is burned, it increases the level of carbon in the air - and therefore it changes the climate.
At the point that we add carbon to the air more quickly than it can be weathered out, it will lead to climate change.