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Thanks To the Montreal Protocol, We Avoided Severe Ozone Depletion

hypnosec writes: Scientists say the ozone layer is in good shape thanks to the Montreal Protocol, which has helped us avoid severe ozone depletion. Research suggests that the Antarctic ozone hole would have been 40% bigger by now if not for the international treaty. "Our research confirms the importance of the Montreal Protocol and shows that we have already had real benefits. We knew that it would save us from large ozone loss 'in the future', but in fact we are already past the point when things would have become noticeably worse," lead author Professor Martyn Chipperfield, from the School of Earth & Environment at the University of Leeds, said in a press release.

141 comments

  1. Montreal Protocol? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Scientists say the ozone layer is in good shape thanks to the Montreal Protocol

    Scientists schmientists. What does Congress have to say?

    1. Re:Montreal Protocol? by jc42 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Scientists say the ozone layer is in good shape thanks to the Montreal Protocol

      Scientists schmientists. What does Congress have to say?

      "Vote for me."

      --
      Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
    2. Re:Montreal Protocol? by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      How the fuck is your post Off Topic?
      Wish I had mod points...

    3. Re:Montreal Protocol? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Skip the middlemen and ask the Koch brothers.

    4. Re:Montreal Protocol? by jc42 · · Score: 2

      Skip the middlemen and ask the Koch brothers.

      And here we have another "troll" mod to this comment, from a reader without a sense of humor.

      (Actually, the Koch brothers might not be predictable in this case, since it'd depend on how much they had invested in the companies that manufactured the old, damaging refrigerants. And they might be aware of how easily society reversed that atmospheric problem with relatively little economic effect, so they might want to be careful about getting people comparing it with the effects of our CO2 output. ;-)

      --
      Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
    5. Re:Montreal Protocol? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think its because I stopped shaving in 1987

  2. Montreal Protocol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Saving you the click:

    The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer) is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. It was agreed on September 16, 1987, and entered into force on January 1, 1989, followed by a first meeting in Helsinki, May 1989. Since then, it has undergone eight revisions

  3. Re:Thanks Canada by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 3, Funny

    Finally they found a use for poutine! :)

  4. Re:Thanks Canada by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I found a use for poutine long ago. I eat it. Because it's delicious. Don't hate before you ever even try real canadian poutine.

  5. Re:Of course the extreme ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The solar "extremes" are a variance of 0.1% total output over a 11 year cycle so you are quite correct - solar output lows had nothing to do with it.

  6. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by haruchai · · Score: 5, Informative

    The hottest decade on record is the last one and significantly warmer than the '80s & 90s.
    Try reading article next time - depletion happens more quickly in COLDER winters.

    --
    Pain is merely failure leaving the body
  7. Re:Thanks Canada by chipschap · · Score: 1

    Poutine is indeed delicious, though I would not call it health food :)

  8. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by skids · · Score: 5, Informative

    No one seems to address that possibility.

    Is your google broken? This has indeed been addressed (by actual scientists) and the estimate of those impacts are of course refined as models improve.

    Like here.

  9. suckers by caviare · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Obviously the CFC industry wasn't as big and powerful as the fossil fuels industries, didn't spend enough money obfuscating the issues, perverting public opinion by telling them want they wanted to hear and getting Rupert to agree with their point of view.

    1. Re:suckers by demonlapin · · Score: 0

      It's not the industry that provides the product. The entire global economy is dependent on energy inputs, which we have been able to exploit most efficiently since the Industrial Revolution, when we began to be able to use energy sources other than people and animals. CFC's were nasty chemicals, but they weren't generally crucial to modern life.

      I'm not in love with the fossil fuel industry, but for all their problems it's also dangerous to assume that installing wind farms on every decent hillside won't have climatic effects. Go nuclear or give up.

    2. Re:suckers by phantomfive · · Score: 4, Informative

      It was a big fight. DuPont spent a lot of money trying to block regulation; until they found a replacement chemical.

      Then they conceded the fight (because they could concede and still make just as much money).

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    3. Re:suckers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Nahh, there's a lot more money to be made selling a new "green" gas (that you've patented) instead of gas that's already being made generically.

      The hilarious thing is that propane (you know, the stuff refineries simply vent to the atmosphere) makes an excellent refrigerant (better than even the lauded freon that nothing has yet matched). Too bad that you have to go to Europe to find it in something other than a commercial freezer (due to regulations). It might be explosive, but you're more likely to survive a propane explosion than even one breath of burning freon.

    4. Re:suckers by MrKaos · · Score: 5, Informative

      CFC's were nasty chemicals, but they weren't generally crucial to modern life.... Go nuclear or give up.

      It's a common myth that Nuclear doesn't contribute to greenhouse gasses however, in reality, CFC114 is the primary chemical input to enriching Nuclear fuel prior to its use in Nuclear Reactors. Several years ago I was curious about this and I used data available from the US EPA web site on licenced CFC emitters and discovered that the largest emitter there was from the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

      At roughly 1,500,000Kg per year it was over 5 times more than the second on the list.

      The reason this is important is not because CFC's are a more potent (20,000*C) greenhouse gas, it's because CFC's affect Phytoplankton which are the creatures that produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. Coupled with the secondary effect of ocean acidification from carbon absorbed from the atmosphere it interferes with the calcium content of these creatures shells forcing them deeper where photo synthesis is less effective. The same creatures are also affected by ozone depletion (which also forces them deeper) as it that careful balance of the suns radiation that allows them to produce oxygen in the first 1-10 metres of the oceans surface.

      They produce more oxygen than all of the tress on earth so understanding and making sure they are ok is one of those less understood tipping points that humans are messing with.

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    5. Re:suckers by whoever57 · · Score: 2

      Obviously the CFC industry wasn't as big and powerful as the fossil fuels industries, didn't spend enough money obfuscating the issues, ....

      Nonsense. The producers of CFCs realized that there was more money to be made in producing (and patenting) the replacements. As an example, look at the price of an Albuterol inhaler. Or think about the cost of recharging an A/C system in comparison to the cost before Freon was banned.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    6. Re:suckers by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'm not in love with the fossil fuel industry, but for all their problems it's also dangerous to assume that installing wind farms on every decent hillside won't have climatic effects.

      No. You are being an asshole or an idiot. I and others have covered this material exhaustively here repeatedly in the past, and I thought we were past this. This has been studied and the result was that there is a localized heating effect in a small area immediately downwind of the wind turbine which is rapidly lost in the noise of the already-chaotic system in precisely the same way that the butterfly effect is bullshit — if an entertaining thought exercise.

      Now, are you trolling, or just talking ignorant shit so that you have something to say? There's no third option.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    7. Re:suckers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I and others have covered this material exhaustively here repeatedly in the past, and I thought we were past this.

      Despite your low UID number, you must be new here.

      Now, are you trolling, or just talking ignorant shit so that you have something to say?

      Yes.

    8. Re:suckers by Rujiel · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "I'm not in love with the fossil fuel industry, but.."

      One of many things to say before/after defending the fossil fuel industry.

    9. Re:suckers by dave420 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's the science-denialist "I'm not racist, but...". If one has a rational opinion on the topic such a disclaimer is not required.

    10. Re: suckers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Propane and isobutane appropriately mixed are a compatible replacement for freon-12 the most common home and car refrigerant of days past. Also used to launch model rockets (Vashon Industries Cold Power rockets) the explosive power of the propane-isobutane mix for a car is less than the explosive power of the gasoline in the much less well protected gas tank. 60/40 by weight. But SNAP rules prohibit use in mobile applications.

    11. Re:suckers by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      So that's what happened to the disappearance albuterol, and the tripling or more of the price of its replacements. From your link I note, "Hendeles noted that CFC inhalers release negligible amounts of the propellant, and do not pose a threat to ozone depletion. However, the United States joined more than 185 other countries in signing the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty requiring complete withdrawal of all CFC products."

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
    12. Re:suckers by hairyfeet · · Score: 0

      Sigh...as opposed to the AGW lobby which is run by such selfless companies as Goldman Sachs while pushing cap and trade which has the rules written by the same one who cooked up credit default swaps and is the kind of scam frankly a kid could see through, meanwhile you have Rev Al setting himself up to be a carbon billionaire while driving a fleet of SUVs like a third world El Presidente and living in a McMansion with ACed basketball court while he says that YOU need to pay more, you filthy climate damaging peasant you.

      Do we need to pollute less and save more? Of course, this is common sense, but we will get NO common sense approaches offered because companies like Goldman Sachs and scammers like Gore couldn't make out like highway robbery on common sense so we'll get scams like crap and trade pushed where the worst polluters get their carbon "indulgences" so pay nothing, scammers like Gore will pay themselves in carbon credits from their own company so he can have the brass balls to fly a lear jet for one and ride in a fleet of Caddie SUVs while claiming he is "carbon neutral" so who does that leave to pay these shitbags for their magic beans? Why that would be YOU, you filthy peasant who can't afford your own offshore LLC, why you are killing the planet!

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    13. Re:suckers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      STFU n' quit cryin: Face the music here http://linux.slashdot.org/comm...

    14. Re:suckers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Montreal Protocol: 1987
      Fox News: 1996

      Lucky for us the Montreal Protocol predates the founding of Fox News by almost a decade. If the dates were reversed it would have been a lot harder sell in the US.

    15. Re:suckers by dywolf · · Score: 1

      Nuclear is not the only solution, nor is it particularly attractive when solar can achieve the same goals, without the side effects.

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    16. Re:suckers by operagost · · Score: 1

      Freon does not burn.

      At all.

      You can't breathe burning Freon because it doesn't burn.

      But propane does, which you hand-waved away.

      We were using freon because its predecessors were flammable. Freon was basically the last invention Thomas Midgley was responsible for that actually helped instead of hurting people-- until we found out it hurt the ozone layer.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    17. Re: suckers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, you have moved within a mile of a turbine, and decided to live there. But other countries are noticing something strange going on. And deciding the propeller turbine is unhealthy to live around. There are other designs that work to lower speed wind. There are designs that don't hurt passing animals, there are designs that people can live around.
      Same with solar, their are both good and bad designs. Unfortunately the bad designs are the most used, same with solar heating systems and solar air conditioning systems, the inefficient win.
      About your CFC remarks, we went from a CFC that cooled effectively, to one that takes more energy to use. A smaller cooling difference means more energy has to be produced to run the ac machines. Less savings to the consumer. More machine running means more infrastructue, for power. Constant power. The power you talk about is still in the future. Undeveloped, and intermittent. Not useful, what if the pacemaker cannot recharge when needed? Could that be a problem for you in the future?

    18. Re:suckers by operagost · · Score: 1

      It's the statist "I'm all for personal freedom, but..."

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    19. Re:suckers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go nuclear or give up.

      Will not help in a long run - population and production increase exponentially, it's not sustainable even with free energy. So UV is not gonna kill us - oh good! What it's gonna be then - peak oil, peak potassium, peak water? Or epic runaway climate change, self reinforcing (more water vapor in atmosphere - warmer - more vapor) until there are no more water in liquid form, Venus style? At least we will have Fermi paradox solved.

    20. Re:suckers by CaptSlaq · · Score: 1

      This needs to be +5 informative.

    21. Re:suckers by Holi · · Score: 1

      It does burn and produces the extremely poisonous Phosgene gas when it does.

      --
      Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
    22. Re:suckers by Zymergy · · Score: 1

      Not really, this is about more taxes and greater profits.... For example, the cost of a 1lb can of R-12 was $0.50-$0.99 when I was a kid... today they are about $10.99- $15.00+ per 1lb can for the now carcinogenic and flammable "replacement" R-134A... To be perfectly honest, we could all be using http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L... ) 99 out of 100 reasons for it always have to do with $ in truth.

    23. Re:suckers by Zymergy · · Score: 1

      Not really, this is about more taxes and greater profits.... For example, the cost of a 1lb can of R-12 was $0.50-$0.99 when I was a kid... today they are about $10.99- $15.00+ per 1lb can for the now carcinogenic and flammable "replacement" R-134A... To be perfectly honest, we could all be using less than $0.50 worth of propane/butane/isobutane/ethane blends as our everyday refrigerants and suffer near ZERO ozone depletion and save terrific sums of money. We are allowed to buy and handle gasoline and use propane/natural gas open flame appliances in our homes, but on noes, you can't let people use a small amount of hydrocarbon refrigerants in their cars (which run on gallons of hydrocarbons) because they are flammable and virtually free in cost... Let's charge them 2000%+ markup on a rather carcinogenic and still-flammable man made "replacement" and also tax the hell out of it. (I knew a guy who easily modified his car to utilize propane as his A/C refrigerant and his air was very cold and extra cheap to refill should he ever have a coolant leak.) This is a real life example of chemical companies and government working together to ban a cheap effective product and replace it with an inferior replacement at stupid crazy tax and obscene profit levels... Every space shuttle launch put more potent and persistent ozone-destroying chlorine compounds directly into the atmosphere per launch than everyone's cars combined in over a year... While I agree and condemn that chemically CFCs do destroy ozone, there are virtually free of cost non-carcinogenic replacements (hydrocarbons like propane and butane and ethane and methane) that we were Not allowed to use, because terrific taxes could not be collected, nor significant profits made making them. Propane is R-290 and Dichlorodifluoromethane (Freon) R-12 are nearly compatible, with R-12 having a 100 year atmospheric lifetime and Propane having a 12 year atmospheric lifetime as well as being naturally occurring and non-toxic and non-ozone depleting... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L... ) 99 out of 100 reasons for it always have to do with $ in truth.

    24. Re:suckers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He thinks we follow his normal blathering. Reminds me of that old song ... You're so Vain.

    25. Re:suckers by jcadam · · Score: 1

      In addition to being expensive as hell, the new HFA inhalers SUCK. They don't work as well (it takes 5-10 mintues for my lungs to open up after a puff... it is NOT immediate) and they clog constantly. Of course, the FDA will have you believe that the transition has gone smoothly and that we asthmatics are pleased with our new inhalers.

      At least I'm not actively allergic to the new propellant like some asthmatics are. Those folks just get to die I guess. Thanks, hippies.

    26. Re:suckers by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      This has been studied and the result was that there is a localized heating effect in a small area immediately downwind of the wind turbine which is rapidly lost in the noise of the already-chaotic system in precisely the same way that the butterfly effect is bullshit â" if an entertaining thought exercise.

      This causes me to think you haven't understood what the Butterfly Effect actually is. It says that slight differences in the initial conditions of some nonlinear systems can have a profound effect on later outcome. It doesn't apply to all chaotic systems by any means, nor does it necessarily mean a persistent change... just a big one. Nor, just off-hand, would it seem to apply to your windmill example at all.

      You might be interested to know that the Butterfly Effect has made a profound contribution to weather and climate modeling. Without it, we would not know even the relatively small amount that we do know.

      The name "Butterfly Effect" was intended as an analogy to how it works... it isn't to be taken literally. But it does work, and is observed in the real world. If you doubt that, I strongly suggest you avoid flying in a modern jet.

    27. Re:suckers by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      Nuclear is not the only solution, nor is it particularly attractive when solar can achieve the same goals, without the side effects.

      How do you claim absence of side effects?

      Solar farms are already observed to fry birds and blind pilots. Not to mention the huge amount of landscape they consume. And in high latitudes, not only to they take up even more (and more ecologically sensitive) area, they aren't even usable a good part of the year. In my area, they don't even come close to competing with other sources for cost.

    28. Re:suckers by jfengel · · Score: 1

      Any idea why they're allowed to emit the CFCs, rather than trapping them? I would expect it to be a closed system. Is this just tiny, unavoidable leaks, or is it deliberately releasing them to the atmosphere?

    29. Re:suckers by khayman80 · · Score: 1

      You might be interested to know that the Butterfly Effect has made a profound contribution to weather and climate modeling. Without it, we would not know even the relatively small amount that we do know.

      Does the "relatively small amount that we do know" include how adding CO2 warms the Earth's surface? You've been vigorously disputing these fundamental physics for years. Can you finally admit that mainstream scientists know how adding CO2 warms the Earth's surface?

    30. Re:suckers by khayman80 · · Score: 1

      Solar farms are already observed to fry birds and blind pilots. Not to mention the huge amount of landscape they consume. And in high latitudes, not only to they take up even more (and more ecologically sensitive) area, they aren't even usable a good part of the year.

      Concentrated solar thermal plants can fry birds or blind pilots, but solar PV panels don't. They don't take up ecologically sensitive landscapes when they're mounted on roofs, and that distributed nature can be more resilient than putting all our eggs in a large centralized power plant. We need to build more nuclear power plants, but we also need more renewables like solar, wind/wave, tidal, geothermal, and maybe even osmotic power.

      In my area, they don't even come close to competing with other sources for cost.

      Does that cost include the damages caused by the CO2 emissions of those other sources? If we're going to include damages caused by solar thermal plants, shouldn't we also include the damages we learned about from studying the effects of rapid CO2 emissions during the end-Permian, PETM, etc.?

    31. Re:suckers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is.

    32. Re:suckers by whoever57 · · Score: 1

      In addition to being expensive as hell, the new HFA inhalers SUCK.

      Buy them in Asia. A couple of years ago, I bought some Ventolin inhalers in India for the equivalent of $2 each. No prescription required.

      Also, be aware that the active ingredients in inhalers run out before the propellant does. Unless you count uses, you may just be getting a lungfull of propellant only.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    33. Re:suckers by dywolf · · Score: 2

      There is no scenario in which the problems of solar outweigh the problems of nuclear enough to sway the pendulum into nuclear's favor.
      --
      Huge amount of landscape....not really.

      A solar array ~135 miles on a side (that's 18,225 sq mi) is sufficient to provide all the energy needs of the entire planet. That's in between the size of maryland and West V. Now...the planet rotates, so you'd need a few of them. Let's say 8 of them, space so one (or a combination) is always receiving and generating enough, plus a margin of safety. That's still only 145,800 sq mi. Which is basically the size of Montana; but again dispersed around the planet.

      And given the rather large bodies of water, and large nearly inhabitable areas (deserts, polar packs, etc), placing in areas not normally frequented or inhabited isn't particularly difficult. of course it's all predicated on the existence of smart grid tech, but we should be, and are, developing that anyway.

      And of course that's assuming only the use of the giant power stations, and ignoring all the potential rooftop installations*, as well wind generation with nearly permanent wind, such as Oklahoma.

      It's not an insurmountable problem.
      It's quite easily doable, even with today's technology.

      And the side effects still pale in comparison to all the problems associated with nuclear waste.
      --

      *Bonus math: 350 million people in the US. Assume half live in house of 4, rest in some sort of communal building containing at least 20 people (apartment, condo, etc). That's 43,750,000 homes, and 8,750,000 apartments/condos. Average house sq ft is ~1600. Average apartment building is 4x that, at 6,400.

      Total roof area estimate is then (somewhat more than, but we'll ignore peak angles for now to make it more conservative) 126,000,000,000 sq ft, which is 4519.63 sq miles.

      Which means that if every residential structure in the US alone had rooftop solar, we'd already be 25% of the way to the solar installation area needed to power the world. Add in Europe, and we're going to be nearly 50% of the way there. Add in our commercial buildings too, and we're likely at 100%, if not more.

      Again: doable in our lifetimes with current technology, with a combination of dedicated generating plants and distributed rooftop installations.

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    34. Re:suckers by dywolf · · Score: 1

      also lets not forget, the area of the planet is 196.9 million sq miles.
      meaning 8 of my mega installations comprise only 0.074% of the planet's surface.

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    35. Re:suckers by MrKaos · · Score: 2

      Any idea why they're allowed to emit the CFCs, rather than trapping them? I would expect it to be a closed system. Is this just tiny, unavoidable leaks, or is it deliberately releasing them to the atmosphere?

      Yeah, it's hundreds of miles of pipes in a closed system, so they leak and it's old. Trapping it would be good, however I don't think that has been achieved. I believe that is why ultracentrifuge technology is being pursued.

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    36. Re:suckers by khayman80 · · Score: 1

      There is no scenario in which the problems of solar outweigh the problems of nuclear enough to sway the pendulum into nuclear's favor.

      Scenario: Yellowstone erupts, dimming sunlight all over the world and continually dumping dust onto solar panels and into wind turbine gears.

      Monocultures are vulnerable. A diverse energy portfolio is more resilient, and nuclear power has a low carbon footprint. That might be why the national academies of 13 nations called for the "development of nuclear power plants that are safe and secure, and ensure the secure long-term management and disposal of waste. International collaboration in development of the next generation of nuclear reactors and in reducing the risk of proliferation is essential."

    37. Re:suckers by DedTV · · Score: 1

      If "it's been studied" is absolute proof and ends all chance of danger and doubt, then I'm going to go fire up a cigarette that doesn't cause cancer, get in better shape by losing weight taking the safe and effective weight loss drug Fen-Phen and take a cruise to see the lip of our flat world!

      Studies are often decent predictors, but history has shown time and time again that things that "studies" prove aren't harmful very, very often are harmful in mass implementation. The real question isn't whether something is safe or not, it's whether any harm it causes in implementation are manageable and/or outweighed by the benefits.

      Trying to shut down talk of the potential for danger, often by calling those who do so unflattering names like "idiot" and "asshole", has been shown time and time again to be the stance of those who truly are idiotic assholes. Welcome to that not at all exclusive club!

    38. Re:suckers by DarkAce911 · · Score: 1

      Screw you and the not crucial to human life bit. Have you priced one of the new CFC-free Asthma inhalers lately, 50 bucks for one with insurance. Before the FDA and EPA banned the old style a few years ago, they were 3 for $10.

    39. Re:suckers by DarkAce911 · · Score: 1

      and they gave them a 20 year patent on it too.

    40. Re:suckers by demonlapin · · Score: 1

      The qualifier "generally" was there for a reason. My wife has raging asthma, and I have not enjoyed paying the higher prices for her inhalers. But that's the price of progress.

    41. Re:suckers by demonlapin · · Score: 1

      Which I didn't do. Funny that.

    42. Re:suckers by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      Does the "relatively small amount that we do know" include how adding CO2 warms the Earth's surface?

      Did I say anything of that nature here?

      Your despicable habit of attempting to attack me at every turn, and trying to turn everything into a discussion of "Greenhouse Effect" will not be forgotten.

      By the way... what ever happened to your comment to me here on Slashdot that you only expected to live a few months? That was many months ago. Dishonest much?

      As I stated to you before, my position on the physics from long past may not necessarily be related to my current position... but your insistence on persistently dragging up bullshit from 5 years ago only serves to muddy the waters, and makes me not want to discuss it with you.

      As I told you very clearly, on many occasions: I will not debate this topic with you, because you refuse to discuss it impersonally, logically, or even honestly. I have many recorded examples I could cite, if I cared to do so. But I'm not going to bother. It will all be written up, eventually.

    43. Re:suckers by khayman80 · · Score: 1

      I'm sorry for still being alive. Think carefully about context, and you'll realize your accusations of dishonesty are baseless. Once again.

      As I stated to you before, my position on the physics from long past may not necessarily be related to my current position... but your insistence on persistently dragging up bullshit from 5 years ago only serves to muddy the waters, and makes me not want to discuss it with you.

      Jane, you repeated your incorrect position on the physics just last month. Again, were you lying when you insisted you DO have a reply to that physics problem?

    44. Re:suckers by jfengel · · Score: 1

      Thanks!

    45. Re:suckers by MrKaos · · Score: 1

      No problem!

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    46. Re:suckers by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      There is no scenario in which the problems of solar outweigh the problems of nuclear enough to sway the pendulum into nuclear's favor.

      Scenario: Yellowstone erupts, dimming sunlight all over the world and continually dumping dust onto solar panels and into wind turbine gears.

      And the earthquakes destroy all nuclear plants. The End.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    47. Re:suckers by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      Jane, you repeated your incorrect position on the physics just last month. Again, were you lying when you insisted you DO have a reply to that physics problem?

      No, I didn't. You are misinterpreting my words, as usual. I was pointing out a subtle error in David's description of what happens. But you both insisted on carrying that conversation elsewhere, then wouldn't even discuss it in a reasonable manner. Instead, you wanted to have things your usual one-sided way.

      Your own behavior (and David's) caused that discussion to be shitcanned, so you won't get any further illumination about it here. When you learn to discuss issues in a polite and impersonal manner, maybe that will change. I'm not holding my breath. But I repeat: all I was trying to do was point out a subtle error in David's description. You interpreted it otherwise. As you have always seemed to do.

    48. Re:suckers by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      Concentrated solar thermal plants can fry birds or blind pilots, but solar PV panels don't.

      Really? Then why is the glare from PV installations of any appreciable size now regulated by the FAA in the US and the CAA in the UK? For absolutely no reason?

      Simple common sense should also tell you that when you have a large field full of flat glass panels, all pointing in the same direction, you can get glare. I find that to be an interesting proposition. Apparently you haven't flown much in small planes.

      Does that cost include the damages caused by the CO2 emissions of those other sources?

      Since nobody has come up with a realistic or even credible means of estimating such cost, the answer would have to be "obviously no". But given that almost all electricity here is hydro, and the vast majority of any CO2 generation from those installations was in the past, realistically I would say: for the most part yes.

      Does that cost include the damages caused by the CO2 emissions of those other sources? If we're going to include damages caused by solar thermal plants, shouldn't we also include the damages we learned about from studying the effects of rapid CO2 emissions during the end-Permian, PETM, etc.?

      Since the authors themselves don't come to any real conclusions, and only suggest, again there is no way to estimate. Do hydro dams cause ocean acidification? Does an increase of 50PPM CO2 in the atmosphere cause significant ocean acidification? You have pretty much implied what your answer would be, but the truth is that these are unknowns. Be afraid if you like, but I won't join you.

      While the paper rather vaguely and timidly suggests that there may be danger in rapid changes of pH, the fact remains that corals, many shellfish, and giant ammonoids evolved in the Cambrian Period when CO2 concentration was many times -- in some cases over a hundred times -- what it is today.

    49. Re:suckers by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      Correction: CO2 levels in the Cambrian are estimated to be well over 10 times what they are now. Not a hundred or hundreds. Still, we've had only a rise in recent times of roughly 14%... nowhere near 1250% (from 400 to 5000 ppm).

    50. Re:suckers by khayman80 · · Score: 1

      If we're going to include damages caused by solar thermal plants, shouldn't we also include the damages we learned about from studying the effects of rapid CO2 emissions during the end-Permian, PETM, etc.?

      Since the authors themselves don't come to any real conclusions, and only suggest, again there is no way to estimate. Do hydro dams cause ocean acidification? Does an increase of 50PPM CO2 in the atmosphere cause significant ocean acidification? ... [Jane Q. Public, 2015-06-04]

      Jane completely ignores the PETM paper, which has nothing to do with ocean acidification. Hydro dams (which don't and can't contribute most of the power in the USA or in the world) cause ocean acidification only to the limited extent that they rapidly increase CO2 in the atmosphere. So once again it's meaningless to ask if an increase of 50PPM CO2 in the atmosphere causes significant ocean acidification. If that 50 ppm increase occurs over centuries or millenia, it's less likely to cause significant ocean acidification than if it occurs over decades because of the higher rate of increase.

      ... You have pretty much implied what your answer would be, but the truth is that these are unknowns. ... [Jane Q. Public, 2015-06-04]

      No, I've already told you that your second question is meaningless because paleoclimate evidence shows that ocean acidification depends on the rate of CO2 emissions, not the amount in the atmosphere.

      There's a difference between "unknown" and "unknown to Jane".

      ... Be afraid if you like, but I won't join you. While the paper rather vaguely and timidly suggests that there may be danger in rapid changes of pH, the fact remains that corals, many shellfish, and giant ammonoids evolved in the Cambrian Period when CO2 concentration was many times -- in some cases over a hundred times -- what it is today. Correction: CO2 levels in the Cambrian are estimated to be well over 10 times what they are now. Not a hundred or hundreds. Still, we've had only a rise in recent times of roughly 14%... nowhere near 1250% (from 400 to 5000 ppm). [Jane Q. Public, 2015-06-04]

      Once again, you're mistakenly calculating the absolute value of atmospheric CO2 ("400 to 5000 ppm") rather than calculating its rate of change. Once again, if atmospheric CO2 increases slowly, ocean pH doesn't change significantly because it's buffered by carbonates and land weathering on long time scales. See Fig. 2 in Honisch et al. 2012 (PDF):

      "When CO2 dissolves in seawater, it reacts with water to form carbonic acid, which then dissociates to bicarbonate, carbonate, and hydrogen ions. The higher concentration of hydrogen ions makes seawater acidic, but this process is buffered on long time scales by the interplay of seawater, seafloor carbonate sediments, and weathering on land."

      It's incredibly ironic that Jane Q. Public and Lonny Eachus both p

    51. Re:suckers by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      Jane completely ignores the PETM paper, which has nothing to do with ocean acidification.

      I did ignore the PETM paper because it's worth ignoring in this context. CO2 levels at the time were already several times what they are now, and according to that paper, they then briefly multiplied by 3 to 4 times that level. So they are referring to a rapid rise to roughly 9 to 12 times current CO2 levels or more. (You can see the blip in the chart I referenced.) We aren't looking at anything like that in the near future. Further, we are still left with the old quandary (and likelihood) of whether CO2 concentrations lagged temperature rise. Further yet, not just insects but plants and mammals thrived during that period.

      It's a nice straw-man, but that's all it is.

      Hydro dams (which don't and can't contribute most of the power in the USA or in the world) cause ocean acidification only to the limited extent that they rapidly increase CO2 in the atmosphere.

      Another straw-man. Actually two. Hydro dams have been accused of emitting a "pulse" of CO2 when the plant-covered area behind them is flooded. Perhaps, but no more than if the same area burned in a forest fire. Hardly significant. THEN, the other accusation is that they emit CO2 because organic material falls on them and decomposes at the bottom. Also probably true. BUT... that is no more true of the dam than it is of any other large body of water. Apparently you have something against bodies of water. Do you think we should eliminate lakes because of the CO2 they emit? Because that's basically your argument. And beavers probably flood more total area than hydro dams do. I find that argument truly laughable.

      Further, it's out of context because my comment specifically mentioned hydro dams in this area, not in the rest of the world. And by the way: most of those dams are in semi-arid areas, and didn't flood much vegetation at all.

      I also know what the chemistry of ocean acidification is. I don't need a lecture from you about it.

      Once again, you're mistakenly calculating the absolute value of atmospheric CO2 ("400 to 5000 ppm") rather than calculating its rate of change

      It wasn't mistaken, it was quite deliberate. Nor was it misleading. I was comparing values from the Cambrian period. It's rather pointless to talk about "rate of change" between Cambrian and now (see chart again), when the time period was > 500 million years ago, and concentrations have had many rises and falls since then. Another straw man. I know your point is partly about rate of change, but it's ALSO about total change.

      There are many variables to the PETM situation, not all of which are known. Among them, as I have stated, was whether CO2 concentrations lagged temperatures or the other way around. What caused the pulse of methane, or whatever it was (still unknown)? There are several theories, none of them strong enough to dominate.

      The rest is further such claptrap. Waste of my time.

    52. Re:suckers by khayman80 · · Score: 1

      Hydro dams (which don't and can't contribute most of the power in the USA or in the world) cause ocean acidification only to the limited extent that they rapidly increase CO2 in the atmosphere.

      Another straw-man. Actually two. Hydro dams have been accused of emitting a "pulse" of CO2 when the plant-covered area behind them is flooded. Perhaps, but no more than if the same area burned in a forest fire. Hardly significant. THEN, the other accusation is that they emit CO2 because organic material falls on them and decomposes at the bottom. Also probably true. BUT... that is no more true of the dam than it is of any other large body of water. Apparently you have something against bodies of water. Do you think we should eliminate lakes because of the CO2 they emit? Because that's basically your argument. And beavers probably flood more total area than hydro dams do. I find that argument truly laughable. [Jane Q. Public, 2015-06-04]

      Good grief, Jane. I said limited extent, which is also basically what I say about solar, wind, and nuclear power, while supporting them. I'm not accusing hydro dams of anything. And I certainly don't have something against bodies of water, or think we should eliminate lakes "because of the CO2 they emit"(?!). In fact, my argument has always been that bodies of water aren't emitting significant amounts of CO2.

      Once again, you're mistakenly calculating the absolute value of atmospheric CO2 ("400 to 5000 ppm") rather than calculating its rate of change

      It wasn't mistaken, it was quite deliberate. Nor was it misleading. I was comparing values from the Cambrian period. It's rather pointless to talk about "rate of change" between Cambrian and now (see chart again), when the time period was > 500 million years ago, and concentrations have had many rises and falls since then. Another straw man. I know your point is partly about rate of change, but it's ALSO about total change. [Jane Q. Public, 2015-06-04]

      Despite Jane's hand-drawn schematic, higher atmospheric CO2 concentrations still don't cause ocean acidification unless the concentration increases rapidly. So it was misleading for Jane to compare values from the Cambrian period to learn about ocean acidification.

      As Jane says, CO2 concentrations have had many rises and falls over the last 500 million years. That's why I've repeatedly showed Jane Kiessling and Simpson 2010, which concluded that "four of five global metazoan reef crises in the last 500 Myr were probably at least partially governed by OA [ocean acidification] and rapid global warming."

      Kiessling and Simpson 2010 isn't misleading because, unlike Jane, they examined CO2's rate of change over the last 500 Myr.

      ... we are still left with the old quandary (and likelihood) of whether CO2 concentrations lagged temperature rise. ... There are many variables to the PETM situation, not all of which are known. Among them, as I have stated, was whether CO2 concentrations lagged temperatures or the other way around. What caused the pulse of methane, or whatever it was (still unknown)? There are several theories, none of them strong enough to dominate. ...

    53. Re:suckers by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      Good grief, Jane. I said limited extent, which is also basically what I say about solar, wind, and nuclear power,

      Let's review the actual CONTEXT again. Because as much as you pretend you don't get it, you use it to make misleading statements. Quote:

      Hydro dams (which don't and can't contribute most of the power in the USA or in the world) cause ocean acidification only to the limited extent that they rapidly increase CO2 in the atmosphere.

      "Limited extent" is overridden by the statement that they "rapidly increase CO2 in the atmosphere."

      Weasel words. They increase CO2 in a "pulse" during their initial loading (which varies according to the ecology behind the dam), which in any event is comparable to a "pulse" from a forest fire of similar extent. Which is why I mentioned that. You do NOT get to weasel your way out of that.

      As far as hydro dams contribute to "ocean acidification", there is zero evidence that they contribute any at all, COMPARED TO natural lakes of the same size. Another point I made which you are trying to weasel out of.

      Despite Jane's hand-drawn schematic, higher atmospheric CO2 concentrations still don't cause ocean acidification unless the concentration increases rapidly. So it was misleading for Jane to compare values from the Cambrian period to learn about ocean acidification.

      I specifically stated that I wasn't "comparing" any sort of rate of change to the Cambrian period. Did you not see that? I made that statement in so many words. Is there something wrong with you?

      In fact, I see you quoted my comment about that. Reading comprehension much?

      So during the PETM, CO2 multiplied by 3-4, causing ~5C surface warming. If we choose the RCP 8.5 pathway, by 2100 we'd multiply CO2 by ~3 and cause ~5C surface warming. So we actually are looking at something like that in the near future.

      But it gets worse. Currano et al. 2007 says "global mean surface temperatures rose at least 5C over 10 ky". On the other hand, RCP 8.5 would warm about that much in just 200 years.

      That's ~50 times faster than the PETM.

      Sure. If we buy your assumptions. You say a lot about "causes", but you don't actually show any causes. We all know the saying about correlations and causations. But there were A LOT of things going on here, and you don't have shit for showing causes.

      You can ASSUME all you like, but that doesn't make evidence.

    54. Re:suckers by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      The main point, however, is the same as before:

      You keep trying to force simple comments I make into full-blown debates about "global warming", and I have told you many times I'm not buying.

      You can make all the points you like. You can "prove" me wrong all you like. I'm not participating. You're talking to yourself.

    55. Re:suckers by khayman80 · · Score: 1

      "Limited extent" is overridden by the statement that they "rapidly increase CO2 in the atmosphere." Weasel words. They increase CO2 in a "pulse" during their initial loading (which varies according to the ecology behind the dam), which in any event is comparable to a "pulse" from a forest fire of similar extent. Which is why I mentioned that. You do NOT get to weasel your way out of that. As far as hydro dams contribute to "ocean acidification", there is zero evidence that they contribute any at all, COMPARED TO natural lakes of the same size. Another point I made which you are trying to weasel out of. [Jane Q. Public, 2015-06-06]

      Good grief, Jane. I'm not trying to weasel out of anything. "Limited extent" isn't overridden by "rapidly increase CO2 in the atmosphere" and these aren't weasel words. Once again, my point is that anything which rapidly increases CO2 in the atmosphere contributes to ocean acidification. Coal plants do this to a huge extent. I've explained that conventional nuclear plants do this to a limited extent because of mining/enrichment/recycling/disposal of fuel, and because of curing the concrete containment domes. Hydro dams typically require pouring lots of concrete, so they're similar to nuclear power in that respect.

      I strongly support nuclear power for many reasons, but one is that a lot of electricity in the USA and the world is generated by coal plants, which are responsible to a huge extent for the rapid increase of CO2 in the atmosphere. The fact that I acknowledge that nuclear power plants (and solar/wind, etc.) are responsible to a limited extent for the rapid increase of CO2 in the atmosphere doesn't constitute trying to "weasel" out of anything. So it's not clear why Jane accuses me of doing that with respect to hydro dams, and it's not clear why Jane is ranting at me about them. Again, I don't have anything against hydro dams or bodies of water, nor do I think we should eliminate lakes. That's just silly, Jane.

      I specifically stated that I wasn't "comparing" any sort of rate of change to the Cambrian period. Did you not see that? I made that statement in so many words. Is there something wrong with you? In fact, I see you quoted my comment about that. Reading comprehension much? [Jane Q. Public, 2015-06-06]

      Good grief, Jane. The fact that you weren't "comparing" any sort of rate of change to the Cambrian period is exactly my point. I've been telling you that for months, because for months you've been saying things like ""Warmists" like to scare over things like death of coral due to ocean acidification from CO2. Coral evolved at a time of 70x today's CO2."

      You've been repeating nonsense like this for months, irrelevantly tweaking the factor to "well over 10" in your most recent regurgitation. For months, you've been comparing absolute CO2 values, which is wrong. Only rapid increases in CO2 concentration cause ocean acidification. After I quoted Honisch et al. making this point, Jane said he knows "what the chemistry of ocean acidification is" and doesn't "need a lecture from you about it."

      If Jane really doesn't need a lecture, then Jane already sees why his repetitive comparisons of absolute CO2 values are misleading. Jane should be examining the rate of change of CO2 concentration, like

    56. Re:suckers by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      After I quoted Honisch et al. making this point, Jane said he knows "what the chemistry of ocean acidification is" and doesn't "need a lecture from you about it."

      You're talking to yourself. That is correct: I don't need a lecture about it from you.

      I know you were talking about rapid changes. I wrote it myself above. I repeat: you seem to have serious reading comprehension issues.

      Also, again as I stated before, the Hydro dams in the inland NW neither emitted a large "pulse" of CO2 when they were built, because there wasn't much vegetation to begin with. But more to the point, I will repeat what I wrote above: by your statements we must criticize ALL large bodies of water because of the CO2 they emit. I am really surprised that you aren't advocating draining all the lakes.

      And I repeat, too: beavers probably back up more water than hydroelectric dams do.

    57. Re:suckers by khayman80 · · Score: 1

      You're talking to yourself. That is correct: I don't need a lecture about it from you. I know you were talking about rapid changes. I wrote it myself above. I repeat: you seem to have serious reading comprehension issues. [Jane Q. Public, 2015-06-10]

      And I know you've been repeatedly talking about absolute changes without referring to timescales, which means you're (inadvertently?) ignoring the real problem: the unprecedented rate of our CO2 emissions. Can we agree that adaptation via migration and evolution is rate limited? Or, once again, would you like to dispute that proposition for either migration or evolution, or both?

      Also, again as I stated before, the Hydro dams in the inland NW neither emitted a large "pulse" of CO2 when they were built, because there wasn't much vegetation to begin with. But more to the point, I will repeat what I wrote above: by your statements we must criticize ALL large bodies of water because of the CO2 they emit. I am really surprised that you aren't advocating draining all the lakes. And I repeat, too: beavers probably back up more water than hydroelectric dams do. [Jane Q. Public, 2015-06-10]

      Good grief, Jane. Once again, my argument has always been that bodies of water aren't emitting significant amounts of CO2. In fact, that's the position Jane/Lonny keeps citing, and I keep debunking!

      Once again, I don't have anything against hydro dams or bodies of water, nor do I think we should eliminate lakes. Once again, that's just silly, Jane. Speaking of "talking to yourself" did you notice that you're the only one talking about CO2 emitted by bodies of water, or anything related to vegetation to begin with? I just explained that I was only referring to the limited extent that any concrete structure like a dam rapidly emits CO2, compared to the huge extent that a coal plant does for the same energy.

  10. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by dbIII · · Score: 3, Funny

    And, how does this all relate to the much-feared, much-publicized "global warming"

    Because those much maligned atmospheric scientists who are apparently not as good at their field as sudoko puzzle writers, PR folks and economists are involved with both.
    Otherwise it has nothing at all to do with climate change.

    I must note that the hottest decade on record was the same decade in which the ozone layer was most depleted

    I must note that ultraviolet is not infrared, and also that your hottest decade is a bit out of date.

  11. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by BoogieChile · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It indicates that when all the science tells you there is a problem, it would be a good idea to do something about it before it's too late?

  12. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by JoshuaZ · · Score: 5, Informative

    I can't tell if you are joking or serious, but I'll try to explain. The ozone layer is a completely distinct problem from global warming. The presence of ozone is necessary because ozone blocks UV radiation. Ozone does act as a weak greenhouse gas, as you can see on the list of greenhouse gases here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas but it is one of the weakest. Note that if anything, this would mean you'd naively expect a lower temperature when there's more ozone (in fact the actual relation is more complicated). So the idea that the ozone hole would have caused warming is just deeply wrong.

  13. Susan Solomon—read about her by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Susan Solomon at MIT was a particularly important person in the development of the Montreal protocol. I recommend reading about her and her work. Surface catalysis in clouds is interesting. Why didn't the ozone hole form over the arctic, not just the antarctic? Read her work to find out. It has to do with formation of certain clouds at particular altitude only found in the antarctic, and re-formation of the catalytic chain carrier due to a particular reaction that is promoted on those crystals.

    Thank god we had the intelligence to fix our own mistake. On second thought, don't thank god—thank science.

    1. Re:Susan Solomon—read about her by allcoolnameswheretak · · Score: 1

      Yes, don't thank god. Thanks to many of our god-fearing conservative friends, we will not be so lucky next time, and scientific findings on the future of the planet or the origin of species are being denied and obfuscated.

      It's Galileo all over again.

  14. Re:Of course the extreme ... by Darinbob · · Score: 1

    Scientists call others to action, then nothing actually happens, so someone will claim it was all a fraud just like Y2K.

  15. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And, how does this all relate to the much-feared, much-publicized "global warming".

    Not much at all.

    The Ozone layer was an issue for UV radiation reaching the Earth's surface and causing problems, the thermal effect would remain unchanged for the most part.

    Is it REALLY carbon dioxide that caused all that warming? Or - was it the ozone layer?

    No one seems to address that possibility.

    Also nobody talks about how the snowman might have started a wildfire, or how an oven might have caused frostbite, or how a tree could have committed murder.

    Ok, probably not that much unrelated, but still, the greenhouse effects of the gases banned under the Montreal protocol was very much a secondary concern to the effects of removing the UV shield that ozone provided.

    But if you want to read the IPCC list, try:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPCC_list_of_greenhouse_gases

  16. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 1

    And, how does this all relate to the much-feared, much-publicized "global warming".

    Short answer: it isn't. They are unrelated phenomena.

    I must note that the hottest decade on record was the same decade in which the ozone layer was most depleted.

    Factually incorrect.

    --
    http://www.geoffreylandis.com
  17. Re:Thanks Canada by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 1

    Not through lack of tasting, I've eaten it in Quebec City and Ottawa.

    Just that ruining chips by pouring on hot gravy and cheese curds ain't my thing.

  18. Nothing to do with Climate Change by Harlequin80 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Seriously guys. Learn to read!!! The Montreal Protocol was all about reducing ozone depleting chemicals from being released into the atmosphere with a particular focus on CFCs. There is NO LINK to climate change in this treaty and climate change had nothing to do with the decision to take it. There was a growing hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica, to the point it was stretching over Australia. CFCs were directly linked to the growth of the hole and cutting their use has dramatically improved the situation re the size of the hole.

    There continue to be releases of other chemicals that have been restricted, especially from fire fighting equipment. But CFCs made up such a huge component and their use dropped so much that that alone has made a measurable impact.

    Really this is exactly the same as restricting the emission of sulphur because it lead to acid rain.

    1. Re:Nothing to do with Climate Change by delt0r · · Score: 1

      It was never anywhere near Australia or NZ for that matter.

      --
      If information wants to be free, why does my internet connection cost so much?
    2. Re:Nothing to do with Climate Change by Neil+Boekend · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There is a link to climate change. The solution to the ozone problem is a proof that we can do it.
      Now I am not saying that waning off from CO2 dumping is going to be as relatively easy as CFCs, but it is at least as important.

      Sulphur is a similar proof that global cooperation can fix damage done to our atmosphere.

      --
      Well, I might have a way, but it only works on a semi spherical planet in a vacuum.
    3. Re:Nothing to do with Climate Change by argStyopa · · Score: 0

      There may not be a direct link, no, but if you don't see the precedential parallel between Montreal and Kyoto that is being drawn here, you're not paying attention.

      --
      -Styopa
    4. Re:Nothing to do with Climate Change by operagost · · Score: 2

      The solution to the ozone problem is a proof that we can do it.

      No, it's not. The solution to the ozone layer issue was to ban a narrow range of chemicals that included CFC. We can't ban CO2 because that's like banning life processes. Misguided people want to use the government hammer to get the job done again, not thinking about the impact. Just cutting government loose will give it power over nearly the entire energy industry, on which our entire lifestyle and livelihood rests. It's de facto control of everything. A measured response is required, one that requires as little government mandate as possible.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  19. Re:Of course the extreme ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your number is for all wavelengths.

    The output of interest for ozone is only a subset of the wavelengths, where the variance is much higher than 0.1%.

    Don't post false information on the Internet. A scientist might get upset.

  20. Re:Thanks Canada by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I must be the only Canadian that can't stand it.

    It's revolting!

  21. Re:chumps taken for a ride by ThePackager · · Score: 1
    Sheeple, schmeeple

    DuPont made a pile off the new alternatives.

    Irrelevant. Kinda implies that an alternative energy economy would be really fruitful and prosperous.

    The "recovery" started happening even before change of CFCs implemented,

    Citation? Hrumpf. The data I 've reviewed had much larger error bars early on, that got smaller, and the recovery was signficantly above the noise.

    clearly the size of the "hole" just solar cycle driven..

    Uh, no. The solar cycle doesn't line up. Another non-scientist with wacky jargon infused quackery.

    --
    Please have respect for people with different abilities, especially children.
  22. Re:Of course the extreme ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Variance of UV band is still only 1.5%, and during the minimum, that UV would decrease, leading to lower ozone production.

  23. Re:Thanks Canada by SirSlud · · Score: 1

    If you think you're the only Canadian that can't stand it, I don't think you live in Canada. Or are you just trying to express to us how unique you are?

    --
    "Old man yells at systemd"
  24. Re:Thanks Canada by grimmjeeper · · Score: 1

    "I'll tell you another thing. Their beer sucks."

  25. Re:chumps taken for a ride by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Exactly. This was about the Republicans making more money for other Republicans. DuPont made billions off of this scam.

  26. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not only are you completely correct about what the ozone layer does, but if you look at where the hole is, and the changes to the places most near the hole you will find that Australia has 2-3 times the rate of skin cancer as the USA, Canada, and UK caused by the increase in UV radiation. The hole is nearer here and causes a lot more UV to get through. If you ever travel here you can even visually notice the difference and the pain it'll induce into your eyes on insanely bright sunny day on the beach. -American in Oz.

  27. When Global Warming doesn't happen, same deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They will also claim credit.

    1. Re:When Global Warming doesn't happen, same deal by hey! · · Score: 2

      It's a little late to be talking about averting global warming.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  28. Re:nonsense by DamnOregonian · · Score: 4, Informative

    look up the molecular weight of freon. It doesn't rise in the atmosphere, it sinks like a lead balloon.

    N2 is less dense than air. Does it all rise to the top of the atmosphere?
    CO2 is denser than air. Does it all sink to the bottom?

    Stupid rubes.

    Indeed.
    You should apply some kinetic energy to a mixture of oil and water sometime, and see how it looks.

  29. Re:chumps taken for a ride by DamnOregonian · · Score: 5, Insightful

    DuPont made a pile off the new alternatives.

    Yes, there's lots of money to be made in fixing our fuckups, even by the people who supplies the tools to create said fuckups. Why is this relevant?

    The "recovery" started happening even before change of CFCs implemented

    Utterly not true... Unless of course you limit the data set to between about 86 and 88, and exclude before and after. Smells like denialist arguing ;)

    clearly the size of the "hole" just solar cycle driven

    Now this is just stupid. The high part of the solar cycle creates *more* Ozone, and we've undergone 4 full cycles since the CFC problem was hypothesized and identified, and the stratospheric ozone measurements aren't even nudged by the cycle... Maybe due to how utterly small the variation in the cycle is (.07% of mean peak to trough)

    What a bunch of sheeple....

    What do you even say to a fucking idiot who talks out of his ass like that?
    How would you tell your child they're wrong if they told you today that it's safe to be shot by a gun, and that most people die of a heart attack out of fright from the sound of the gun firing?

  30. Re:nonsense by grcumb · · Score: 2

    but we did inflate duPort's bank account as their patents on Freon had run out and Congress made the old Freon illegal just in time for the new and improved patented Freon to enter the marketplace.

    Yes, Dupont sat on the patent for a chemical compound they knew was safer until it became clear that the courts and governments were going to act, and then and only then did they finally file the patent on an HCFC compound to replace Freon. It was an act of stunning cynicism, but you're aiming your contempt in precisely the wrong direction.

    stupid rubes

    Physician, heal thyself.

    --
    Crumb's Corollary: Never bring a knife to a bun fight.
  31. Re:nonsense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The company's name is "duPont". I'm assuming you're stupid since "duPort" doesn't form any form of sarcastic parody.

    "Freon" is not the subject of a patent, it is a trademark, which will remain in force as long as duPont defends it.

    "Freon" is not a single chemical, it is a label duPont applies to numerous halocarbon compounds.

    Most of these compounds were discovered well before 1950, meaning any possible patents on the molecules or their synthesis expired well before 1980, let alone the passage of the Montreal Protocol.

    Denser bulk gasses will remain in the bottom of a container, however once mixed the entropy of mixing means that the process is not spontaneously reversible: there are unimaginably more states where freon molecules and air molecules are fully mixed than states where they are fully or even partly separated. Even by waiting, it is simple to see the tendency of the boundary to smear due to molecular diffusion processes, which are also irreversible.

    You managed to get every single "factual" statement wrong. Stop posting, stop reading right wing propaganda, take a class on critical thinking, and start reading science books. But really, the most important thing is to stop posting, some innocent passerby might not know to instantly dismiss your shitpost.

  32. Re:chumps taken for a ride by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wait, just to be clear, are you parodying global warming denialists here, or are you actually serious?

  33. Re:nonsense by Capsaicin · · Score: 4, Funny

    You should apply some kinetic energy to a mixture of oil and water sometime, and see how it looks.

    Better still use a mixture of vinegar and oil, (with a little added pepper, salt and dried herb), and then apply some kinetic energy. That way you can have your demonstration and eat it too.

    --
    Better to be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than ruined by too confident a security. --Edmund Burke
  34. Re: Ozone layer is recovering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Temperature last June got down to -135.4 F. That is .3 of a degree within the coldest ever recorded on the planet. It is not "hotter than its ever been before". Try another scam cause that one isn't working.

  35. Re: nonsense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Next you'll say a temperature of - 135. 4 degrees below zero makes the earth hotter than its ever been before!

  36. Re:nonsense by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

    Sound's like Italian dressing... I'm game.

  37. Re: Ozone layer is recovering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    When actual observationes contradict all predictions made based on computer models you have to say that scientifically the models are flawed. If you believe a computer model over actual observed reality then you are a member of a cult, not a scientist.

  38. next up: ban cars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We need to ban cars from urban centers, to further reduce greenhouse emissions

    1. Re:next up: ban cars by hey! · · Score: 2

      Well, driving cars in urban centers generally sucks between the traffic and finding parking. The problem is people are too stubborn to get their act together and provide abundant satellite parking and transit links. Sure, driving your car right up to a store is ideal when you're the only one doing it, but there's a reason malls are built with parking on the periphery and pedestrian access at the core. If parking was the most pleasant and convenient way to get a lot of people into a confined area you'd be able to drive right into Disney World and park your car at Space Mountain.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  39. Re:nonsense by Capsaicin · · Score: 1

    Yup ... or "French Dressing" for that matter. It's a vinaigrette.

    --
    Better to be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than ruined by too confident a security. --Edmund Burke
  40. Re:nonsense by Capsaicin · · Score: 1

    ... and I'd like to add ...

    Wake up SHEEPLE!!! Italian dressing ISN'T REAL! .... stupid rubes.

    --
    Better to be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than ruined by too confident a security. --Edmund Burke
  41. Ah, but its not that simple by Viol8 · · Score: 2

    As more heat gets trapped at the ground so the stratosphere where ozone destruction occurs gets colder (because less heat is coming up from below) and so ironicaly in warmer winters it can be colder in the stratosphere and hence more O3 destruction can occur.

  42. Re:Thanks Canada by QQBoss · · Score: 1

    Poutine is what Quebecois eat to put on a layer of fat before winter... one is really all you need, but more than a few Quebec City residents seem to go back for seconds and thirds just to be sure, 'cause it is so damned cold.

  43. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by Eloking · · Score: 1

    Note that if anything, this would mean you'd naively expect a lower temperature when there's more ozone (in fact the actual relation is more complicated).

    Wait, even if it's almost completly unrelated,shouldn't more ozone result on "highter" temperature?

    --
    Elok
  44. What this really means by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "The hole in the ozone layer is just as bad as when we made all these stupid changes to 'save' it! What do we do when they find out we were full of shit?"
    "Pretend it would have been even worse."

  45. hmm, ok? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    control group or it didn't happen

  46. Good news everyone! by Maury+Markowitz · · Score: 2

    Be glad the Koch brothers didn't own any companies making CFCs.

  47. I love the oil industry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I love the oil industry. My investments in it are making me rich.

  48. Re: nonsense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    # - 135. 4 degrees below zero #

    yes - that makes you are a complete idiot than ever before

  49. Re: Ozone layer is recovering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fuck, you're so stupid, I'm embarrassed to be an AC.

  50. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by Charcharodon · · Score: 0
    "When actual observations contradict all predictions made based on computer models you have to say that scientifically the models are flawed. If you believe a computer model over actual observed reality then you are a member of a cult, not a scientist.

    What the Anonymous Coward said that all the cultists are trying to mod down.

  51. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by dywolf · · Score: 1

    it got modded down because its wrong. but props for posting your stupidity under your own profile. that puts you are least a step about the nutjob AC.

    --
    The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
  52. Re:Brought to you by.... by dywolf · · Score: 1

    defensive much? you must be really threatened by women, since the only person who brought the fact of her gender, was you.

    --
    The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
  53. Re: Ozone layer is recovering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I thought the coldest temp was recorded in Siberia, so you must be referring to the coldest in Antarctica?

  54. Re:nonsense by hey! · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Anything that happens inflates someone's bank account. If governments ban CFCs then people with CFC substitutes get a windfall. If governments don't ban CFCs then makers of sunscreen and skin cancer treatments get a windfall.

    This is how capitalism works -- how it's supposed to work. Problems attract capital, which generates profits. But it's also how market solutions fall short. It's better for the public if someone makes a killing replacing CFC than if someone else makes a killing treating skin cancer.

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  55. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

    No, quite the opposite. The ozone traps and reflects radiation. Above, you can find an example of a smart ass trying to teach the difference between ultraviolet and infrared. Fact is, it's all energy. So, if more energy is passing through where the ozone is supposed to stop it, that means more energy is reaching the earth. The healthier the ozone, the more energy is stopped and/or reflected. The more unhealthy the ozone, the more energy reaches the ground.

    Multiple posters have already made themselves look silly because they fail to understand that.

    Take a house with several glass windows. UV light passes through the windows easily, while IR does not. For that reason, houses with lots of windows are harder to cool in the summer. Can't blame that on infrared radiation!! It's all energy.

    --
    "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
  56. Impossible to believe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    nothing good comes out of Quebec

  57. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by Holi · · Score: 1

    "No one seems to address that possibility."

    I read that as I am too lazy to look even the easiest shit up. Yes they looked at it, No you have not come up with some novel theory. Next time you say no one, when actually many experts in the field are you should have your internet taken away for a week.

    --
    Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
  58. Re:Thanks Canada by StrangeBrew · · Score: 1

    If you're referring to Molson Canadian or Labatt's Blue, you won't get much of an argument. Those are the equivalent of an American Budweiser. There are however some fantastic smaller high-production breweries and plenty of great micro-breweries.

  59. Re:Thanks Canada by grimmjeeper · · Score: 1

    I was quoting a movie.

  60. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's getting worse much slower. Not repairing.
    And no, temps are not going down.

  61. Re:Thanks Canada by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    Also referring to the Canadian contract brewed 'foreign beers'. Fosters is piss everywhere. But the Canadians make a terrible version of Kingfisher, the original of which is a nice beer.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  62. Climate models tell less than you think by BCGlorfindel · · Score: 1

    There is a link to climate change. The solution to the ozone problem is a proof that we can do it.
    Now I am not saying that waning off from CO2 dumping is going to be as relatively easy as CFCs, but it is at least as important.

    Sulphur is a similar proof that global cooperation can fix damage done to our atmosphere.

    As important by what metric? Yes, we have a very good instrumental record of warming global temperature for nearly a century. Yes, we have a record about half as long showing CO2 concentrations rising. Yes, we have trivial physics to show that CO2 absolutely traps radiation and contributes to warming. Yes, we know that our actions have been contributing CO2 to the atmosphere over those time frames. Please point me to more sources, but this is about the extent of the very strongly agreed items on climate change. Further facts all start deriving from climate models, or statistically reconstructed models of proxy data. How do we quantitatively define the importance of reducing our CO2 emissions from this?

    We need to know the cost we will bear from continuing temperature changes if we carry on our merry way. We need to know the reduction of those costs if we take a certain set of actions today or in the near future. We then can compare the costs of those actions today against the saved costs in the future and make an informed decision.

    I hate to be that guy, but our climate models today are NOT sufficient for assessing this. Plenty of the guys working on the models will call me out, and maybe you should listen to them instead of me because they are after all the experts and know their work and field better than I. Scientifically speaking though, please also look at the facts I base my statement upon. The IPCC states the following information on climate models in general:
    -Model tuning aims to match observed climate system behaviour and so is connected to judgements as to what constitutes a skilful representation of the Earth’s climate. For instance, maintaining the global mean top of the atmosphere (TOA) energy balance in a simulation of pre-industrial climate is essential to prevent the climate system from drifting to an unrealistic state.
    -The models used in this report almost universally contain adjustments to parameters in their treatment of clouds to fulfil this important constraint of the climate system (Watanabe et al., 2010; Donner et al., 2011; Gent et al., 2011; Golaz et al., 2011; Martin et al., 2011; Hazeleger et al., 2012; Mauritsen et al., 2012; Hourdin et al., 2013).
    -Model tuning directly influences the evaluation of climate models, as the quantities that are tuned cannot be used in model evaluation.

    Now, if you read those points something comes out and screams problem doesn't it? The heart and soul of all climate change is the increase or decrease of energy at the Top Of Atmosphere. The climate models nearly universally modify cloud effects to get their hindcasting of the energy at TOA correct. If they don't do this tuning, the models drift to an unrealistic state. The quantities that are tuned also should NOT be used in evaluation of the models. So TOA energy imbalance is one of the things that practically by DEFINITION the models are not meant to be able to be evaluated upon, let alone predictive for.

    Let me humbly suggest that models that still aren't up to projecting TOA energy aren't exactly cut out for long term predictions of CO2 or any other impacts on TOA energy, which is THE centrally component of the greenhouse effect. The models are tackling problems like what happens to temperature and precipitation patterns under certain changes to TOA energy, but that's not the problem we are most interested in when assessing what level of energy changes CO2 is causing for us.

    If I'm wrong or insane anywhere please, please correct me and point me in a good direction for some reasons I'm off base here. I'm a Comp Sci grad so I get computer modelling and the above concerns I've outlined seem terribly fundamental and after searching for a long time I can't find anywhere that the central concern I've outlined is meaningfully addressed.

  63. Re: Ozone layer is recovering by demonrob · · Score: 1

    well I laughed at him/her. It was a joke wasn't it?

  64. Re:Ozone layer is recovering by Charcharodon · · Score: 1
    I've got a pile of Karma that reaches into the sky. I'm not afraid to use my own account.

    You all say he is wrong but you don't counter as to why he is wrong.

    "THE SCIENCE IS SETTLED YOU DON"T NEED TO SEE THE RAW DATA!!" is the mental equivalent of "Well yay, YOU ARE A POOP FACE!!".

    That is the domain of idiots and children, neither of which can be taken seriously.

  65. DarinBob = "Run, Forrest: RUN!!!" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject "Forrest" & this -> http://tech.slashdot.org/comme...