The entire mining industry has been loudly (and frequently) denounced by environmental groups over the last decade as a major cause of global warming due to its connection with coal mining and fossil fuel-driven generation plants. While these popular alarmist attitudes have been well promoted and broadcast, they have no foundation in sound, scientific evidence. Consider even these
simple facts from a 2006 article entitled
Climate and the Carboniferous Period:
'Average global temperatures in the Early Carboniferous Period were hot- approximately 20deg C (68deg F). However, cooling during the Middle Carboniferous reduced average global temperatures to about 12deg C (54deg F). As shown [enlarge the the chart above], this is comparable to the average global temperature on Earth today!
Similarly, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Early Carboniferous Period were approximately 1500 ppm (parts per million), but by the Middle Carboniferous had declined to about 350 ppm -- comparable to average CO2 concentrations today!
Earth's atmosphere today contains about 380 ppm CO2 (0.038%). Compared to former geologic times, our present atmosphere, like the Late Carboniferous atmosphere, is CO2-impoverished! In the last 600 million years of Earth's history only the Carboniferous Period and our present age, the Quaternary Period, have witnessed CO2 levels less than 400 ppm.
There has historically been much more CO2 in our atmosphere than exists today. For example, during the Jurassic Period (200 mya), average CO2 concentrations were about 1800 ppm or about 4.7 times higher than today. The highest concentrations of CO2 during all of the Paleozoic Era occurred during the Cambrian Period, nearly 7000 ppm -- about 18 times higher than today.
The Carboniferous Period and the Ordovician Period were the only geological periods during the Paleozoic Era when global temperatures were as low as they are today.
To the consternation of global warming proponents, the Late Ordovician Period was also an Ice Age while at the same time CO2 concentrations then were nearly 12 times higher than today -- 4400 ppm. According to greenhouse theory, Earth should have been exceedingly hot. Instead, global temperatures were no warmer than today. Clearly, other factors besides atmospheric carbon influence earth temperatures and global warming.'
If that's not enough, the whole global warming theory itself is completely shredded by Professor Robert M. Carter (Marine Geophysical Laboratory, James Cook University, Austrailia) in his four-part
YouTube presentation entitled
CO2 and Climate Change.
Even in the face of these facts and reports by scientific authorities, radical environmentalists - including Al Gore as a principal proponent - continue to fan the flames of fear throughout the American public and government in order to acheive their narrow, self-serving goals. It's bad enougn that they don't know the difference between coal and cobalt.
But the mining industry has become an easy target for these foolish accusations because, in truth, it has done a terrible job of defending itself against media-driven ignorance. Miners haven't spent nearly enough money or time educating people about the critical importance of minerals in their lives and the deep commitment that the modern mining industry has to preserving environmental quality. Today's youth - having enjoyed the benefits of the wealthiest, most opulent consumer society ever to exist - find it hard to believe that they have become slaves to mineral imports from countries far outside our borders.
It is far easier to jump on Al's Dog and Pony Show for Global Warming.
