VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – As far back as 1896, scientists recognized that doubling the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would increase the melting of the polar icecaps—the first calculations of the greenhouse effect. In the 1930s it was identified that the carbon dioxide that was given off by machines was not able to be totally absorbed by the oceans and therefore, it was increasing in volume in the atmosphere. “We are using the atmosphere as a garbage dump” stated Paul R. Ehrilich in his 1968 book.
The documentary on climate change, shown Thursday, October 17 at the Valley City State University Science Center is the first in a series on Climate Change. It was sponsored by What In The World Is Going On? The second presentation (Climate Change and Our Food Supply) will be on Thursday, November 7 also at the VCSU Science Center.
The documentary also explained how deeply scientist Carl Sagan felt about the dangers of climate change back in the 1980s when consensus among scientists was forming. Today 97% of scientists agree that climate change is man-made.
Solar has been with us longer than most people know. In 1913 Frank Shuman, a U.S. inventor set up a solar-generating plant but then World War I erupted and then vast and easily accessible oil deposits were discovered in Iraq and Iran after the war, so his dream of cheap, clean solar power was buried with him.
The documentary highlighted research that showed how the greenhouse effect had made Venus a furnace; this was visible evidence that climate can be delicately balanced, so that a planet’s atmosphere could flip from a livable state (like earth) to a deadly one (like Venus which is like a furnace).
The major greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide and nearly all carbon dioxide comes from fossil fuels (burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation). But methane and nitrous oxide, which mostly come from agriculture and waste (including food waste), are also significant greenhouse gasses.
Dr. Lauren Dennhardt, moderator for the Climate Change discussion noted that food waste decomposes in landfills and releases methane, a greenhouse gas which is smaller in amount than carbon dioxide but that is at least 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Audience members brought up numerous questions related to solar and wind power and nuclear energy. Discussion also centered on the value of biofuels like ethanol.
What In The World Is Going On? Is a campus/community organization dedicated to stimulating discussion about current topics of interest in our state and nation. For further information call 701-845-7321.
The second presentation in this series on Climate Change will be on Thursday, November 7 at 7 pm at the Valley City State University Science Center Auditorium. It will be presented by Dr. Phyllis Johnson, scientist and researcher, recently retired from both UND and the USDA. She will speak on Climate Change and Our Food Supply. The presentation is free and the public is invited to attend.
Story submitted to NewsDakota.com