To the Editor,
gov. Tim Walz is proposing that he would like to reduce transportation greenhouse gases by 30% by 2025 and 80% by 2050. The solution is to go to electric cars. However, nothing is said as to how much reduction in atmospheric CO2 these mandates will produce.
There are about 2 million registered cars in Minnesota. The average car emits about 4.6 tons of CO2 per year. So, Minnesota cars emit roughly 10 million tons per year. Replacing all of those cars with electric powered units would be totally worthless for controlling global warming. This only represents about 0.0009% of the total atmospheric CO2.
The oceans hold far more CO2 than the atmosphere, emitting and absorbing CO2 to and from the atmosphere at differing rates depending on what clouds, sun and undersea volcanoes are doing.
Even a slight change in the huge oceanic reserves of CO2 would totally blow away the tiny 0.0009% atmospheric CO2 eliminated by going to electric cars.
Also, note that a rise in atmospheric CO2 level seems to follow a rise in temperature of the ocean surface water, lagging behind by about 10-11 months (Humlum et. al. 2013). Which seems to be telling us that rising CO2 levels are due to earth temperature rise; not the other way around.
The July 22, 2022 issue of AAAS ‘Science’ headlines: “Cleaner air is adding to global warming.” Satellite data is telling us that the reduction of sulfate and nitrate particles since 2000 is not reflecting as much sunlight back into space, thereby causing global warming.
Even “climate expert” James Hansen says we may need to use geo-engineering to start lofting sulfates back into the atmosphere to cool things down by increasing solar reflection. (Note: Allowing higher sulfur diesel fuel and dialing down coal fired power plant scrubbers would probably have the same effect.)
How ironic; environmentalism contributes to ‘Global Warming’.
Phil Dreitz
Delhi
