Every once in a while I run into someone who doesn’t that there is a correlation between the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the mean global temperature. I don’t necessarily think that these people are stupid, but they are certainly misinformed. So here are some graphs that I took from the internet, cleaned up, and which just might convince otherwise those who believe that they know more about science than scientists. If you are unaware of my educational background, besides being a pretty good cartoonist, I’m also a PhD physicist (Florida State University 1971) .
The first curve plots the actual mean global temperature variation measured from around 1850 to the present day:
This next curve plots the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It’s a smoothed curve because there is a seasonal variation over the course of the year. There is more CO2 in the winter than the summer because people are heating their houses, for example. The more solid red line is derived from actual measurements begun by Charles Keeling in 1958. The paler red curve is data inferred from ice cores:
Screenshot
Here I’ve normalized the two graphs and superimposed them:
Even a non-scientist should be able to see the correlation.
Bud, you’re dead on. You’d have to be an idiot to think the climate isn’t changing.
I’m getting tired of being polite to people I know who deny climate change being linked to our degradation of the air. I carry those curves on my IPhone. I’ll show it to them and tell them that they are either stupid or so indoctrinated in their political bias they refuse to see truth. I drew a magazine cartoon almost 40 years ago about global warming. So I’ve been aware for a long time. I have a friend, so to speak, he went to college and his first major was physics. He changed majors after the first semester, and continued to change majors while he was there. He never got a degree until he entered the military and got some sort of degree that the army hands out. This was about fifteen years ago. He started in about the global warming “hoax”. After he stopped his rant I told him he was wrong. He said without thinking, quote, “I was a physics major!” I said “So was I.” He knew my background and never brought up the topic again. This is a very serious matter. Those assholes are the ones who are destroying our planet.
Bud –
The primary problem appears to be in what ‘scientists’ are doing to make data fit their hypothesis and what governments are doing to impose unrealistic conclusions and laws on society.
Al Gore’s infamous trumpeting of the ‘hockey stick curve’ of CO2 levels has been exposed as incomplete and misleading according to many s ientific sources that were sequestered and penalized for differing views.
Here are some articles that I found to be more credible that what the mainstream media has broadcasted:
The “hockey stick” curve obscures Earth’s CO2 history
https://www.cfact.org/2021/04/15/the-co2-hockey-stick-curve-shields-the-history-of-earths-historical-levels-of-co2/
Man-made or natural global warming?
https://www.cfact.org/2023/01/05/man-made-or-natural-global-warming/
Greenpeace co-founder: Earth’s geologic history ‘fundamentally contradicts’ CO2 warming fears – Patrick Moore, Ph.D.
https://www.cfact.org/2014/02/26/greenpeace-co-founder-earths-geologic-history-fundamentally-contradicts-co2-warming-fears/
Climate change for Babies – Book review by Joe Bastardi – July 19th, 2022
https://www.cfact.org/2022/07/19/climate-change-for-babies-book-review/
I strongly disagree. Look at my curves again. I didn’t make them up.George W Bush commissioned the National Academy of Science, the smartest people in this country, to study global warming. They overwhelmingly agreed that the science is correct. What is your background? What is your degree in? Seriously, what are your credentials? You won’t find too many scientists who don’t work for the fossil fuel industry that agree with you.
Funny how the cartoon also demonstrates how convincing curves can be.