Science is so hard…
A recent post on our Facebook page claims there is a “new study” showing that carbon dioxide acts as a coolant in the atmosphere. Our Facebook poster, we’ll call him “Adam” (because that’s his name), is confident he’s unearthed this new pearl of knowledge that blows centuries of science on CO2 aside. I assume this now means without the naturally occurring carbon cycle and greenhouse effect Earth would in fact by much hotter, not colder – which does turn common sense on its head a bit. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Adam points to two sites making the bold claim that NASA scientists prove “CO2 cools the atmosphere.” Both these sites breathlessly point to a 14-month-old NASA press release concerning measurements of solar flare activity back in March of 2012. As is already well understood, CO2 and nitrous oxide act as a “shield” high up at the top of the thermosphere. When large solar flares bombarded earth’s upper atmosphere with infrared radiation, these gases blocked (radiated back to space) a large portion of that energy, saving the hapless mortals below from “being burned to a crisp.” Read More→
EarthTalk® is a weekly environmental column made available to our readers from the editors of 
Two new reports reiterate the scientific veracity of anthropogenic climate change while reinforcing the interconnectedness of the economy and the environment. The World Economic Forum (WEF) 
