“It was in the 1820s that Joseph Fourier (click here) first explained that the Earth's atmosphere retains heat radiation. He had asked himself a deceptively simple question, of a sort that physics theory was just then beginning to learn how to attack: what determines the average temperature of a planet like the Earth? When light from the Sun strikes the Earth's surface and warms it up, why doesn't the planet keep heating up until it is as hot as the Sun itself? Fourier's answer was that the heated surface emits invisible infrared radiation, which carries the heat energy away into space. But when he calculated the effect with his new theoretical tools, he got a temperature well below freezing, much colder than the actual Earth.
It isn't suprising Joseph Fourier would begin to ask questions about Earth's heat. The steam engine as used in trains began in development in the early 1800s. So, it seems to me as soon as coal began to be used to produce steam, scientists started to ask questions about Earth's heat capacity.
The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming are separate topics.
The Greenhouse Effect is vital to life on Earth. It is what allows Earth to sustain life. Typical of science and scientists there were others that followed the work of Joseph Fourier. In 1827 and 1838 Claude Pouillet documented this phenomena that was Earth. He was followed by John Tyndall in 1859. It was not called "The Greenhouse Effect" then. It was primarily studies of Earth's ability to sustain life through warmth induced by it's gaseous atmosphere.
Research (click here) shows that due to the retention of the heat by the Earth’s atmosphere, the planet became warm enough to sustain life. If the greenhouse effect did not exist, the planet would be too cold for living organisms or plants.
In 1896, Svante Arrhenius wrote formulas for the physics of wavelength involved with the warming of Earth. (click here) Earth is warmed by infrared radiation produced by it's surface after absorbing light rays from our sun, Sol. The full article of this genius can still be read online.
It was 21 years later that Alexander Graham Bell called this warming process "The Greenhouse Effect." Yes, the same man that invented the beloved telephone and has lead to post 9/11 surveillance also predicted the human race would be in trouble due to a hot planet.
Alexander Graham Bell wrote, "The unchecked burning (of fossil fuels) would have sort of a greenhouse effect." He went on to advocate for the use of alternative energies stating, "The net result is the greenhouse becomes a sort of hot-house." He was the earliest pioneer to advocate solar energy.
Alexander Graham Bell (click here) was the first to add to the 'dynamic' of Earth's Greenhouse effect. He was the one that stated, we can make Earth too hot if we continue to effect it's gaseous layers. In other words, Mr. Bell would state we could have too much greenhouse effect due to unnatural increases in the gases that warm Earth in normal amounts.
Alexander Graham Bell. Today the commercialized USA accepts him as a pioneer to profit in discovering the telephone, but, they completely reject his own writings about what would be called high greenhouse gas emissions in the 1960s.
In support of his own scientific conclusions he stated, "Coal and oil are...strictly limited in quantity. We can take coal out of a mine but we can never put it back. What shall we do when we have no more coal or oil?"
What Alexander Graham Bell was discussing was Peak Oil.
Peak oil.
Most scientists agree Peak Oil occurred in 2005. When the consumer data is examined it is all too obvious. There was the oil embargo in 1973. According to historic records that was the first time in five decades the price of oil would move out of the 30 cents per gallon range into the 50 cents per gallon range.
Gasoline at the pump would remain below a dollar US until 1980 when issues with inflation troubled the markets. It would fluctuate in the range of a dollar per gallon until the year 2000.
Then in 2000 the price moved to a dollar and fifty cents. It would remain that price until the markets took inventory and pushed the price up to over $2.00 per gallon in March of 2004.
The American Automobile Association (click here) tracks gasoline prices across the nation and publishes state averages. The 10 states with the highest prices are shown in blue. The 10 states with the lowest prices are shown in green. The first graph shows prices for April 4, 2005. The second graph shows prices from about a year ago (March 16, 2004), and the third graph shows prices from almost two years ago (April 22, 2003). The states with the largest per gallon price changes from 2003 to 2005 are Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan, where prices rose by 70 cents or more.
As Alexander Graham Bell predicted, Peak Oil occurred in 2005. Rather than preparing for it and accepting it, the US federal administrations receiving a lot of money over the years from the petroleum industry sold out their country and denied the scientists were accurate. They pandered to their political cronies, rather than heeding the warning and moving to alternative energies and different strategies for personal and public transportation.
This is corruption of the USA political system to elect our government authorities and it continues even today. The petroleum industry is no different than the gun lobby. Same thing.
June 7, 2013
By Margo Ashmore, Northeaster
...Jon Freise, (click here) a national trainer on the subject, told a recent gathering that the Transition Towns movement came out of concerns about three things: Climate change—temperature extremes brought on by pollution, “peak oil”—fossil fuels running out, and economic instability....
