I try to understand the concept of the greenhouse effect. For one thing, more than half the earth is always giving up heat to outer space without the sun shining on it. So anything that could be reflected back would only be in the direct areas of sunlight. But beside this, I don’t know how a scarce molecule can trap energy. Air is 78 % nitrogen 21% oxygen and .03% Carbon Dioxide. The further out you go, the thinner the air gets and so it would be more likely, if it was even possible, that heat would reflect out. Atoms give off energy 360 degrees while they are bouncing and tumbling in the vast empty space around them. Isn’t the nucleus of an atom a very small part of the area of the atoms in that trace, tumbling molecule? The physics don’t add up for carbon dioxide to have any effect on our weather even if it could be doubled to .06%.

All living things are carbon based so it seems we would want as much of it available as possible. The miracle of photosynthesis is dependent on it. It can be assumed that everything that is now a hydrocarbon started out as a molecule of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at one time. It would be a good thing to return it there for present living things to use and grow. More raw material for plants and animals.

The reason that hydrocarbons have so much energy is that they represent years of photosynthesis. Stored sun energy for us to release. It is a chemical chain reaction with oxygen as the catalyst. The oxygen causes the energy stored by the sun in those molecules to be released. Combustion is the ultimate solar energy. That is why renewable energy is lacking. Solar, wind and water can only be used immediately, while hydrocarbons are large accumulations of batteries that have stored years worth of solar energy.

Another usable store of energy is nuclear. When an atom’s nucleus loses a bit of mass, a huge amount of energy is released. The problem is controlling the chain reaction and the radiation that results. It is such a blessing to have so much energy available so we can get the work done that we want. Traveling, manufacturing, housing, communication and entertainment: energy makes them all possible. We shouldn’t demonize the sources but simply manage them properly while we look for safe reliable alternatives. The subject has fascinated me since I was a kid. There has got to be innovative people outside the corporate and governmental cronyism we are dealing with at present that can pursue this.