Global warming, climate change, carbon footprint, Al Gore, Greenhouse gases, solar flares, OH MY!

Isn't it all a bit confusing? What is really happening? Is the earth's climate really changing? Well, duh! Do we really truly know why? Absolutely not!

As the fire drill around carbon emissions gains momentum, there is an increasing, albeit quiet rumble in the science community that global warming "caused by human activity" is in question.

I live in Cincinnati, Ohio. There is absolutely no debate about the fact that the Ohio River Valley was created by the melting of the glaciers as they receeded. THe hills of Northern Kentucky are the moraines (debris pushed along by a glacier). Last time I checked there haven't been glaciers in Cincinnati in several millenia.......SO WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?  Carbon emissions? Greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels? NO ONE KNOWS, other than the earth has cycled temperature FOREVER!

Ice cores drilled at the North Pole show several ice ages and even strong evidence of the pole having been tropical at one point. So I ask the question again? Do we really know why the earth seems to be warming up? At least based on recent data. Recent as it is only really in the past 30 years that we have "defined" a warming trend.

You all may be too young to remember cover stories in Time and Newsweek in the mid 1970's ringing the alarm bells of an impending ice age. Pollution, you see was going to filter so much of the sun's rays from the earth's surface we were headed for global winter. Ooops!

Maybe we aren't as powerful and impactful as we think we are? Maybe the earth is doing what it is due to far greater powers. New studies are saying that higher carbon dioxide levels are actually the RESULT of global warming, not the source. Other studies are pointing to the cycles of solar flares. Now that makes a loit more sense.

Now do I think we should keep buring coal and oil until its all gone? Absolutely not!

I have been in the energy filed for over 30 years. I have stood upon the soap box of energy conservation for 30 years. I watched as the US media convinced people that nuclear energy was a horrible mistake and Jimmmy Carter banned the US from reprocessing spent nuclear fuel.

Take a look at France. I know many hate them. I admire them, at least in their approach to power generation. The French committed to nuclear power over 30 years ago. They built standard designed reactors and power plants. They reprocess their spent nuclear fuel and are able to re-use almost 85% of it. All the nuclear waste from the French nuclear power plants would cover a football field 6 feet deep!! AND THAT'S ALL! France is about 80% nuclear, Sweden is predominantly nuclear and surprise surprise SO IS JAPAN!

I do not tink nuclear power is the permanent fix. I do think it will carry us for the next 20 or 30 years as we develop breakthrughs in alternative technologies that are sensibly developed. not rushed to market at any cost.

Scary as it sounds fusion energy can be an option. Or large scale solar and wind. But we need serious work done to make these options reliable and viable. Not rushed into for political expediency.

Catch a breath, and lets all work this out intelligently. Let's not burn the power company leaders at the stake...it will only add to the carbon emissions....

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