Sulfur dioxide pollution, primarily from unregulated coal production, destroyed the air quality across the northern hemisphere in the 20th Century. However, many scientists view sulfur dioxide as only a role player in climate change anxiety. They, instead, steer us toward unnecessary worry about nontoxic carbon dioxide (CO2). Nevertheless, to understand how significant sulfur dioxide is, we must return to a major volcanic eruption over 30 years ago.
The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines was one of the largest recorded in the 20th Century. The massive blast sent nearly 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, which, within two years, cooled the planet by about 1.3 degrees F. Sulfur dioxide has the opposite effect of CO2 in the atmosphere. Sulfur dioxide reflects incoming sunlight to space, causing cooling, whereas CO2 absorbs radiation and theoretically warms the planet.
While Mount Pinatubo was an impressive one-time event of sulfur dioxide, the real story of the 20th Century was the amount of this human-made pollutant that entered our atmosphere through the unregulated burning of fossil fuels. As a quick comparison to Mount Pinatubo, by the time it blew its top, the United States alone was emitting more human-made sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere each year than this eruption. Yes, each year!
Further, due to no regulation and massive industrial growth after World War II, the U.S., Canada, Mexico, all of Europe and eventually, China were emitting planet-cooling sulfur dioxide pollutants into the atmosphere at alarming rates. By some estimates, and by the time the 1970s rolled in, the release of human-made sulfur dioxide was equivalent to four to seven Mount Pinatubo eruptions annually. Take a moment and think about the darkness and cooling this created over the Arctic and northern hemisphere until regulations started to kick in.
However, in the last quarter of the 20th Century, and through successful clean air policy, the blanket of sulfur dioxide and dark skies over the northern hemisphere by the developing world did decrease. Even China, which took off with its unregulated industrial efforts in the early 2000s, quickly addressed the sickening poison of sulfur dioxide. Scientists from China studied the U.S.’s successful clean air policies and made significant air quality advances ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
A review of sulfur dioxide emission inventories suggests that clean air efforts prevented an estimated 50 to 100, perhaps more, Mount Pinatubo eruptions by the mid-2000s and relative to levels from the 1970s. One Mount Pinatubo eruption cooled the planet by 1.3 degrees F; how much warming have we experienced by removing sulfur dioxide emissions equivalent to 50 to 100 of them?
A significant bias in climate science is the analysis and reporting of Arctic Sea ice extent, temperature and general climate trends that start any time after WWII and ignore sulfur dioxide as a driver. The northern hemisphere peaked in the human-made sulfur dioxide load in the late 1970s and started a decreasing trend, reaching a tipping point in the mid-2000s, allowing more sunshine to reach the planet than in the last 50 years. While there is more to do, and we must remain vigilant, the global clean-up of sulfur dioxide pollution is a monumental success story.
In addition, CO2 has continued to increase in the last 20 years, but the stubborn Arctic is not melting away as predicted. The extent of the Arctic summer sea ice has shown no trend since the mid-2000s. This fact complicates the claim that CO2 is a primary driver of climate change. In the 2000s, experts predicted the Arctic to be ice-free by now. The Arctic is far from reaching a summer ice-free status. So, what do you think the human-made variable driving the Arctic Sea ice extent of the last 50 years could be?
Many scientists, who now keep to themselves, support the premise that our sun is the primary driver of weather and climate, understanding that sulfur dioxide can block sunlight from carrying on with natural climatic processes. In addition, the sun is responsible for the day-day, week-week, month-month and annual changes from cloud and water vapor formation to volcanic activity and natural aerosols relative to dynamic global energy processes. Examining our climate in this regard leaves little concern for human-made CO2 in our atmosphere. Instead, we see increases with the photosynthesis-friendly driver and creator of life, CO2, as a benign opportunity for the planet.
These statements are unwelcome, heresy and blasphemous by the elite climate ruling class, who have traded empirical reasoning for money and dogma. It is why many of us stay quiet.
We also see the uncertainty in climate models and the indoctrination of extreme weather events placed upon the people as a perversion of the scientific method. With this understanding, you realize that the talk of carbon footprints is an unfortunate pursuit of public fear, especially for our children.
Further, it is a significant headache for the politics of climate change if sulfur dioxide is a major culprit of the last 50 years of Arctic Sea ice and weather flux because, in that case, the problem already has a solution. Yes, overlooking or patronizing the massive unloading of planet-cooling sulfur dioxide pollution in the last 50 years is a necessary bias to carry on with the politics and money involved with climate change.
President-elect Trump promises to return the country to a focus on fossil fuels. Reasonable scientists may want to contact the Trump administration to remind them that poorly regulated burning of fossil fuels can create sulfur dioxide, mercury, nitrogen oxides, lead and other pollutants (NOT CO2). And that these pollutants can cause asthma, other breathing difficulties, brain damage, heart problems, cancer, neurological disorders and premature death. In addition to the adverse health impacts on humans, these pollutants also degrade our environment. However, we can and should use properly regulated fossil fuels to help maintain our way of life, especially for our children.
——
Jed Dukett lives in Tupper Lake and is a former acid rain scientist.
This post was originally published on here
