Eyjafjallajökull volcano puts paid to Plimer
In the UK The Guardian has explained, in a story “Iceland volcano gives warming world chance to debunk climate sceptic myths” that the oft-repeated notion that human CO2 emissions are trivial compared to natural volcanic activity is, well, a load of cobblers.
Here, for example, is what Plimer wrote on Australia’s ABC Network website last August:
The atmosphere contains only 0.001 per cent of all carbon at the surface of the Earth and far greater quantities are present in the lower crust and mantle of the Earth. Human additions of CO2 to the atmosphere must be taken into perspective. Over the past 250 years, humans have added just one part of CO2 in 10,000 to the atmosphere. One volcanic cough can do this in a day.
John Cook of the increasingly popular Skeptical Science website currently lists the “volcanoes emit more CO2 than humans” viewpoint as number 54 on his ever-growing list – 107, to date – of debunked sceptic arguments.
I had the opportunity to see Ian Plimer in person at an event recently and there is no doubt he is a skilled, avuncular speaker who understands the power of a good narrative. He weaves fact and fiction seamlessly and with such confidence that it’s hard for an audience, even a smart, well read audience like the one I was at, to see where the truth ends and the lies start. That in my mind makes people like Plimer more dangerous than the ranting street-corner climate sceptics who have been popping up of late.
Plimer also neglects to mention the vast sums of money he is paid by his mining interests, or the money he’s made simply be being a professional climate change denier.
So cheers to The Guardian and to people like Jon Cook for presenting the bare facts.
Oh and if you, like me, have no clue how to pronounce Eyjafjallajökull, this little song might help. — DS