If you ever wondered how the use of the word CO2 somehow became interchangeable with the word Carbon, look no further than the special interest groups (environmentalist extremists & activists) that governments nominated to the IPCC and Al Gore. The dirty little secret of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) is that the 2,500 members that make up this panel are not all scientists, many have resigned because they wouldn't 'toe the line,' and even those that left still had their names tacked onto the 'consensus' reports because even though they disagreed, that disagreement was a contribution. Some even sued to be removed from the 'consensus' list.

So how did CO2 become synonymous with Carbon? First of all, somebody with extraordinary public relations skills realized that CO2 in and of itself is an odorless, colorless natural gas that is the byproduct of every living organism on the planet, a major gas released by volcanoes (and other geothermal processes), is necessary for the survival of all plant life on earth, is not a pollutant, and just doesn't sound that 'dirty.' Carbon, on the other hand, is associated with coal, reminds you of something dark and sooty, and is much easier to illustrate when showing black chunks of CO2 billowing from factories, cars, houses, and skyscrapers. And doesn't a Carbon Tax roll of the tongue just a little bit easier than a Carbon Dioxide Tax? So the IPCC in its infinite marketing wisdom modified their press-ready reports and substituted the word Carbon for CO2 wherever plausible. The media ATE it up. Hey, they have to sell papers and magazines too, which they wouldn't be able to do without the CO2 that feeds the trees they chop down for the paper.

Carbon is an element. You've heard the expression Carbon-based Lifeforms? That's us. Here is Wikipedia's definition (excerpted and bolded):

Carbon is the 4th most abundant element in the universe by mass after hydrogen, helium and oxygen. It is ubiquitous in all known lifeforms, and in the human body it is the second most abundant element by mass (about 18.5%) after oxygen.[5] Carbon is the sixth most abundant element by weight in the Earth's crust. This abundance, together with the unique diversity of organic compounds and their unusual polymer-forming ability at the temperatures commonly encountered on Earth, make this element the chemical basis of all known life.

In it's raw form it is also the color of coal. It's also where diamonds come from, but that's another story.

Now you can see the benefit of calling the odorless, colorless CO2 (which is a carbon atom bonded with two oxygen atoms) the black, sooty, dirty word Carbon. Please do not be fooled. Your science teacher would give you an "F" if you ever said on a test the two words were interchangeable. The press (both print and media) who, let's face it, are in the business of making money and not understanding simple science, have no problem spearheading this propaganda because it looks and sounds good. Next time you see it used innapropriately, by the media or your representative in Congress, let them know! Burning Carbon is last on a very long list of how CO2 gets into our atmosphere.

Write comment
Name:
Email:
Subject:
	Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."