Q & A
Q & A
Question: There's an email going around the Internet that suggests that an Australian geologist by the name of Ian Plimer is claiming that, "The volcanic eruption in Iceland in just FOUR DAYS NEGATED EVERY SINGLE EFFORT you have made in the past five years to control CO2 emissions on our planet - all of you." Is this an eye-opener or just another Internet hoax?
Green Neighbour's Answer: It is true that Ian Plimer is an Australian geologist who, in 2009, released a book (Heaven and Earth) in which he suggests that climate change models focus too strongly on the effects of man-made carbon dioxide, and do not give sufficient weight to other factors such as solar variation and volcanoes (especially under-water volcanoes). However, Plimer is greatly criticized as being both a fabricator and a conspiracy theorist.
Admittedly, watching Plimer in interviews reveals a man who is painfully frustrating to discuss these issues with, as he simply will not answer straight-forward questions that are put to him. Just watch this interview as an example: George Monbiot vs. Ian Plimer
As for the bit about a single volcano offsetting all the carbon gains that we've made over the last five years, well... that seems to simply be a fabrication. While it is true that erupting volcanoes do emit carbon dioxide, according to U.S. Geological Survey, human activities release at least a hundred times more CO2 every year than all the world’s volcanoes combined. You will find this point addressed both within the video that is linked above as well as in this article: Eruption Corruption
For more insight into climate change denial, take a look at this entertaining video produced by Jimmy Kimmel:
Question: There's an email going around the Internet that suggests that an Australian geologist by the name of Ian Plimer is claiming that, "The volcanic eruption in Iceland in just FOUR DAYS NEGATED EVERY SINGLE EFFORT you have made in the past five years to control CO2 emissions on our planet - all of you." Is this an eye-opener or just another Internet hoax?
Green Neighbour's Answer: It is true that Ian Plimer is an Australian geologist who, in 2009, released a book (Heaven and Earth) in which he suggests that climate change models focus too strongly on the effects of man-made carbon dioxide, and do not give sufficient weight to other factors such as solar variation and volcanoes (especially under-water volcanoes). However, Plimer is greatly criticized as being both a fabricator and a conspiracy theorist.
Admittedly, watching Plimer in interviews reveals a man who is painfully frustrating to discuss these issues with, as he simply will not answer straight-forward questions that are put to him. Just watch this interview as an example: George Monbiot vs. Ian Plimer
As for the bit about a single volcano offsetting all the carbon gains that we've made over the last five years, well... that seems to simply be a fabrication. While it is true that erupting volcanoes do emit carbon dioxide, according to U.S. Geological Survey, human activities release at least a hundred times more CO2 every year than all the world’s volcanoes combined. You will find this point addressed both within the video that is linked above as well as in this article: Eruption Corruption
For more insight into climate change denial, take a look at this entertaining video produced by Jimmy Kimmel: