Friday, April 20, 2007

Warming Facts

via Sally Pipes at NRO.

Unfortunately for the smelly hippy eco-doomster crowd, things appear a bit cheerier than you might believe after seeing Professor Gore's movie, or reading convoluted legal reasoning from the nation's highest court. The rate of growth in carbon emissions is slowing in the US, the rate dropping to less than half what it was in the 1990s. Methane emissions, (23 times the greenhouse effect of carbon) are actually declining. Worldwide, methane emissions have declined almost 13% from 1990, and the 4 million ton reduction is about the same as a 90 million ton carbon reduction.

In addition, as the developing world grows their economies, their rate of deforestation drops and reverses itself. No nation with a per capita income over $4600 has negative rate of forest stock growth. In particular, China has added over 20 million hectares of forest between 2000 and 2005. Of course, trees take in carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. Worldwide, the net rate of forst loss is declining as well.

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