Good subject Cevans.
Climate change is actually true as the climate is continually changing. Man's influence is overrated. For the people that think that hydrocarbons burning will make a difference, you are wankers.
The hydrocarbons we have burnt to date probably has had an infinitesimal effect on the climate. I know that there are some educated people following these posts so I will not try and persuade you.
For those who know about coal mining you wold know that only coal clumped together in large quantities near the surface (< 1000 m) is economically mineable. This is somewhat less than 10% of the coal deposited around the world. Of that 10%, those of you that have created projects will know that less than 20% of the carbon will be mined. The rest is in thin seams, crap filled seams, high impurities like sulphur, shale in roof and floor and such like. Burn the dirt and you burn of 5% carbon. So I assert that only about 2% of remaining coal in the world is ever likely to be mined and burnt.
The other 98% would be necessary to be mined to put all the carbon captured in coal back into the atmosphere.
Same story for oil, shale, gas etc.
Think of all the carbon captured in Viruses, bacteria, algae, animals, plankton, insects, trees, grass and such like. Then the carbon captured in carbonates, alcohol (yum yum), bloody plastics that last thousands of years etc.
We are still warming up after the last ice age 10,000 years ago.
Money on research would be better directed in determining how we will deal with effects of climate change rather than being wasted trying to prove man is responsible.
What they do not say is that this is a very slow process and your great, great, great, great grandkids will still be debating this for 'future populations'.
I do believe that we should stop burning these valuable sources of carbon and make chemicals, plastics, medicines etc.
Use up the useless rubbish like uranium, radium, plutonium, thorium, sunlight, wind, gravitational pull from moon etc. But do not get all excited about things that are not economical. Get stuck into fusion research.
