June 18, 2014

Climate Change Hysteria — Follow the Money!

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the annual carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions on our planet amount to 803.3 billion tons. Of that amount, man contributes 33 billion tons (4%) and the U.S. contributes 5.8 billion tons (0.72%).

The sources noted by the IPCC are:

   Ocean-Atmosphere Exchange         330 billion tons 
   Plant & Animal Respiration        220 billion tons 
   Soil Respiration & Decomposition  220 billion tons 
   Human Fossil Fuel Combustion       33 billion tons   
      Electricity Generation  41% 
      Industrial              20% 
      Transportation          22%  
      Residential              7% 
      Other                   10% 
  Volcanic Eruptions                 0.3 billion tons 
  
  TOTAL                            803.3 billion tons 

Over 60% of all human-caused CO₂ emissions come from four areas; China (26.43%), U.S. (17.33%), European Union (13.33%) and India 6.41%. The 10 most polluted cities on the planet are in Pakistan – 4, India - 2, Iran - 2, and Bosnia-Herzegovina and Mongolia each have 1.

While our impact on carbon dioxide emission globally is minimal (0.72%), that is not to say our emissions are not harmful. Air pollution often damages the health of those exposed to it.

According to the American Lung Association, more than 40% of Americans live in counties that have unhealthy levels of ozone or particulate pollution. The top 27 polluted cities are located in: California – 6, Ohio – 4, Pennsylvania – 4, West Virginia – 3, and 1 each is located in Arizona, Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Texas, Missouri, Maryland, New York, and Tennessee.

Under EPA Cap & Trade regulations, any company that emits more than 27,500 tons of CO₂ annually will be required to purchase “allowances” (a tradable permit to emit 1.1 tons of CO₂). To put that into perspective, the 12 biggest CO₂ producing power plants in the U.S. are coal-fired plants that each produce 17 to 25 million tons of CO₂ per year. They are located in: Texas – 2, Indiana – 2, Georgia - 2, Alabama, Arizona, Tennessee, Ohio, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.

Companies can purchase “allowances” from other companies and pass that increased cost onto its customers. So there is a new currency on our planet. For millennia we had money. Then, with the advent of the internet, bitcoins were added that started out at $2 and rose to $1,125 through self- enriching manipulation by insiders. Now, via EPA Regulations, we have “allowances” that are certain to be the next wealth generator for insiders.

And America’s contribution to global levels of carbon dioxide will still be insignificant, people in large metropolitan areas will still be breathing polluted air, and the disposable-income of the middle class will continue to decline.

These things will happen while climate-change hucksters get richer and richer with Al Gore leading the way. Gore’s net worth continues to soar, having gone from about $1M when he ran for President to about $170M today.

Rex A. Hoover
Sumerduck