Carbon dioxide levels hit new high

Nuclear power plants in the US today:

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Power generation breakdown in the US:
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I have always heard that France relies heavily on nuclear power.

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So how many cars and farting cows were around 500 million years ago to make the CO2 levels reach 4,000ppm?
 
Lizooki said:
So how many cars and farting cows were around 500 million years ago to make the CO2 levels reach 4,000ppm?
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We have to extract the webcam footage from the plants that were here at the time. So we need to find the exact level of soil they are buried in. But that soil is in Iran, and we're not allowed to dig over there (yet)
 
@VortecJeep may be able to shed some light on the future of nuclear power generation.

I generally keep out of the theory of global warming but it amazes me how people can keep on without repercussions. The byproducts of burning fossil fuels, though mostly invisible, are there and harmful. I’m really glad I was born in the time I was. I do think we as humans are doing a great deal of harm to our planet, but realize I may be in the minority here. I don’t advocate for theories but pollution by itself is a real thing.
 
So much stuff the climate "scientists" preach as truth .... if you listen to them long enough, they step in their own BS!
They say "Climate change" now because they can't get enough evidence to prove if it's cooling or warming.

The truth is, it IS climate change .... the climate has been changing since the beginning of time and it always will, regardless of what man does.
 
I'm certainly not a climatologist or anything and admittedly I didn't pay a ton of attention in class during HS. I do see how we as humans are using up many of our resources and I can without a doubt see that we (human kind) are destructive. But my family recycles, so we're doing our part :)
But the one piece of data I see every single day that (in my pea brain) disputes the constant global warming/climate change BS is simple, the record high and record low I see on the morning news.
When our local hottie, Ingrid Allstaedt, gives the daily weather forecast during breakfast, she always tells the record high and low temp for the day. I see record highs dating back the 30s, 40s and even sooner. I see record lows in the 1980s, early 2000s and even the late 1800s. Where was the climate change then? Seriously.
I'm not a tremendously intelligent dude, but I do try to see things on a broad scale before I make a judgement.
IMO- alarge part of the climate change (among so many others) arguement is presented in a way to fit an agenda. Imagine that...

She wouldn't lie
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Lizooki said:
So how many cars and farting cows were around 500 million years ago to make the CO2 levels reach 4,000ppm?
Click to expand...

From what I have read, the higher CO2 levels were due to the higher level of volcanic activity back then and also lower levels of solar activity. I think there is more too it, but I am still reading.

Earth is about 4.5 billion years old, and is slowly cooling off. Eventually, the planet will cool off to the point that it completely loses its atmosphere. The earth is actually losing its atmosphere now at a very slow rate. Apparently that is what scientists think happened to Mars 4.2 billion years ago.

Yes, 50 million years ago the earth was hotter. Here's why climate change is still a major problem
 
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broncosbybart said:
@VortecJeep may be able to shed some light on the future of nuclear power generation.

I generally keep out of the theory of global warming but it amazes me how people can keep on without repercussions. The byproducts of burning fossil fuels, though mostly invisible, are there and harmful. I’m really glad I was born in the time I was. I do think we as humans are doing a great deal of harm to our planet, but realize I may be in the minority here. I don’t advocate for theories but pollution by itself is a real thing.
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Summary:

It is expensive to build a nuclear plant, but the cost per megawatt to run is cheaper than most other sources. Nuclear has zero carbon emissions. It’s not a level playing field because other power sources, like solar, get ridiculous amounts of tax incentives that nuclear does not.


Details:

The cost per megawatt to run existing nuclear plants is has typically been relatively cheap compared to other sources. However in the past several years, the price of natural gas has drastically dropped and made it cheaper than nuclear. But, nuclear has zero carbon emissions, whereas even though natural gas is pretty clean, it still puts out carbon. Once the environmentalists get coal plants wiped out, they’ll go after natural gas plants next.


One reason we aren’t building new nuclear plants in the US (with 1 or 2 exceptions) is the cost to build it. Thankfully here in the Carolinas, we see what an asset existing nuclear power is and are actively working on extending the operating licenses for our nuclear plants. When the NRC granted operating licenses, they were only good for 40 years. We are getting a 20 year extension with plans of doing studies to get a second 20 year operating extension. Some plants up north aren’t so lucky and are being shut down. That is because we are in a regulated market here, whereas up there they are not. So it is difficult for the companies that own the plants up there to recover money they spend to maintain them.


Another thing hurting nuclear in the Carolinas is that the playing field is not even. NC is the 2nd leading producer of solar energy in the country. Is it because we have the 2nd best sunshine in the country? Hell no, it is because the state of NC gives the best tax incentives for solar in the country. You can build a billion dollar solar farm, and after you get your tax incentives, you only had to pay $250 million for it. Plus, the way the state law works, if you are producing that electricity, Duke Energy is required to buy it from you! Even if Duke Energy doesn’t need it! So what does that mean? That means that Duke could have to shut down its own power plant(s) because it is required by law to buy your power and distribute it. Even if your power costs more than Duke’s.
 
Where I work we have converted about half of our steam capacity to Natural Gas. One of the things that I found interesting is that the Natural Gas units do not produce much less carbon than a properly tuned pulverized coal boiler. They do have other great features such as not emitting oxides of sulfur from the combustion. The latest scrubber systems along with a bag house particulate filter can remove
95% or more of the sulfur and heavy metals but there are still emissions being generated by coal fired boilers. I feel that more and more industrial boilers will go the way of Natural Gas as long as the price stays competitive.
 
Another coal tangent that we see is the loss of good, high quality coal. When coal became more vilified and Natural Gas became cheap and easy to get, a lot of the mines we bought from shut down rather than lose money on every train they sent us. Other mines started mining coal that is cheaper to produce but that has more crap in it. The crappy coal has had more affect on our operations than any recent government regulations.
 
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