The Real Cause of Global Warming and its Consequences on Climate Policy
29 May 2018-Vol. 2, Iss: 1
Abstract: Perspective In the year 2006, the book and the film of the former US vice president and presidential candidate Al Gore, entitled «An Inconvenient Truth», stirred up the general public. This book and this film did not only emphatically illustrate the consequences of global climate warming but also establish an ostensible explanation alleged by prominent scientists. According to them the carbon-dioxide concentration in the air, arising within the recent period of time, induced a so-called greenhouse effect and was thus responsible for global warming. Al Gore’s work was honoured by the Noble Peace Prize *Corresponding author: Thomas Allmendinger, Glattbrugg, Switzerland. E-mail: inventor@sunrise.ch
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19 Jun 2017
TL;DR: In this article, the influence of the colour and texture of surfaces is discussed, primarily the influence on the albedo of a building and the quality losses due to weathering.
Abstract: After the stringent refutation of the climate greenhouse theory, delivered by a recent publication, the artificial brightening of considerable parts of the Earth surface, preferably in cities, gives the only chance of mitigating the global warming and its implicit amplification of thermal surface gradients leading to intensified storms. It implies a novel climate philosophy, generally described under the motto «increasing the albedo», but proceeding from relatively small areas which influence the microclimate. Thereby, not the albedo itself should primarily be envisaged but rather its complement, the solar absorption coefficient of solid opaque materials, measurable by a previously described method and delivering the foundations for the here proposed measures. Thereby, primarily the influence of the colour and of the texture of surfaces is discussed. For roofs, bright brown is the preferred colour, whereas for facades white, or even brighter brown, is advisable. Furthermore, quality losses due to weathering are an important aspect, in particular for brick-tiles, suggesting appropriate preserving measures. Not least the properties of the construction materials have to be taken into account: The quicker the ground material is warmed up by solar irradiation, the quicker the near ground atmosphere warms up since the temperature difference between ground and atmosphere increases. Stones deliver the best suited natural construction material, due to their high heat capacity and low heat conductivity. Additional layers from artificial isolating materials should preferably be attached inside the house walls, and not outside. Glass facades and windows induce thermal traps. In view of future settlement constructions, the trapping of solar radiation within the complex geometry of urban canopy should be taken into account much more. Generally, the solar radiation absorbance of a building group is increased when its macro-roughness is increased. Thus high-rises as well as compacted urbanizing are not compatible with a consequent albedo-philosophy.
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References
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01 May 2010
1,984 citations
"The Real Cause of Global Warming an..." refers background in this paper
...Hence the question arises why climate campaigns do not implement such measures, disregarding the albedo aspect, and why they pursue rather climate protection than climate mitigation [15]....
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Book•
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an overview of the history and evolution of Earth's climate, including the global energy balance, sensitivity and feedback mechanism. But they do not consider the effects of anthropogenic climate change.
Abstract: Introduction to the Climate System. The Global Energy Balance. Atmospheric Radiative Transfer and Climate. The Energy Balance of the Surface. The Hydrologic Cycle. Atmospheric General Circulation and Climate. The Ocean GeneralCirculation and Climate. History and Evolution of Earths Climate. Climate Sensitivity and Feedback Mechanisms. Global Climate Models. Natural Climate Change. Anthropogenic Climate Change. Appendices. Chapter Exercises. References. Subject Index.
868 citations
"The Real Cause of Global Warming an..." refers background in this paper
...So it is not surprising that a solid comprehensive description of the greenhouse theory is not available, not even in textbooks such as [3-5]....
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TL;DR: For cities across North America, geographic variations in daytime ΔT are largely explained by variations in the efficiency with which urban and rural areas convect heat to the lower atmosphere, if urban areas are aerodynamically smoother than surrounding rural areas, urban heat dissipation is relatively less efficient and urban warming occurs (and vice versa).
Abstract: Climate modelling is used to show that for cities across North America, geographic variations in daytime urban heat islands—that is, the temperature differences between urban and adjacent rural areas—are largely explained by variations in the efficiency with which those areas convect heat to the lower atmosphere. It is often warmer in a city than in the surrounding rural areas, sometimes by up to a few degrees. This urban heat island effect is commonly explained as a consequence of a lower rate of evaporative cooling in urban areas. But here Xuhui Lee and colleagues use climate modelling to show that for cities across North America, the daytime urban heat island effect varies with the efficiency of heat convection between the land surface and the lower atmosphere. The convection effect varies with climate regime, causing significant urban warming in wet climates but cooling in dry climates. Aerodynamics also play a part, and if urban areas are aerodynamically smoother than surrounding rural areas, urban heat dissipation is less efficient and warming occurs. The health impact of heatwaves means that mitigation of the heat island effect may be beneficial. The authors suggest that aerodynamic spoilers — a city-wide increase in building height for instance — may be impractical. But efforts to increase urban albedo, by installing reflective roofs for instance, might be worth pursuing. The urban heat island (UHI), a common phenomenon in which surface temperatures are higher in urban areas than in surrounding rural areas, represents one of the most significant human-induced changes to Earth’s surface climate1,2. Even though they are localized hotspots in the landscape, UHIs have a profound impact on the lives of urban residents, who comprise more than half of the world’s population3. A barrier to UHI mitigation is the lack of quantitative attribution of the various contributions to UHI intensity4 (expressed as the temperature difference between urban and rural areas, ΔT). A common perception is that reduction in evaporative cooling in urban land is the dominant driver of ΔT (ref. 5). Here we use a climate model to show that, for cities across North America, geographic variations in daytime ΔT are largely explained by variations in the efficiency with which urban and rural areas convect heat to the lower atmosphere. If urban areas are aerodynamically smoother than surrounding rural areas, urban heat dissipation is relatively less efficient and urban warming occurs (and vice versa). This convection effect depends on the local background climate, increasing daytime ΔT by 3.0 ± 0.3 kelvin (mean and standard error) in humid climates but decreasing ΔT by 1.5 ± 0.2 kelvin in dry climates. In the humid eastern United States, there is evidence of higher ΔT in drier years. These relationships imply that UHIs will exacerbate heatwave stress on human health in wet climates where high temperature effects are already compounded by high air humidity6,7 and in drier years when positive temperature anomalies may be reinforced by a precipitation–temperature feedback8. Our results support albedo management as a viable means of reducing ΔT on large scales9,10.
844 citations
"The Real Cause of Global Warming an..." refers background in this paper
...Rather, this phenomenon was associated with lower evaporative cooling from urban soil, because of the absence of plants, and additionally facilitated by lower heat convection [2]....
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TL;DR: A robust linear relationship between monthly-mean September sea-ice area and cumulative carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions allowed Notz and Stroeve to infer the future evolution of Arctic summer sea ice directly from the observational record.
Abstract: Arctic sea ice is retreating rapidly, raising prospects of a future ice-free Arctic Ocean during summer. Because climate-model simulations of the sea-ice loss differ substantially, we used a robust linear relationship between monthly-mean September sea-ice area and cumulative carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to infer the future evolution of Arctic summer sea ice directly from the observational record. The observed linear relationship implies a sustained loss of 3 ± 0.3 square meters of September sea-ice area per metric ton of CO2 emission. On the basis of this sensitivity, Arctic sea ice will be lost throughout September for an additional 1000 gigatons of CO2 emissions. Most models show a lower sensitivity, which is possibly linked to an underestimation of the modeled increase in incoming longwave radiation and of the modeled transient climate response.
380 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors concluded from data analysis that the fraction of carbon dioxide from anthropogenic sources remaining in the air will be almost constant, with a value ranging from 40 to 50 percent, until the peak rate of fossil-fuel consumption is passed which he predicts to be approximately 100 years, depending on future energy substitutions.
Abstract: This article addresses three questions: (1) how much carbon dioxide will be added to the atmosphere in future years; (2) will it cause global temperature rise and climate changes in widespread regions; and (3) what are human societal consequences. The author concludes from data analysis that the fraction of carbon dioxide from anthropogenic sources remaining in the air will be almost constant, with a value ranging from 40 to 50 percent, until the peak rate of fossil-fuel consumption is passed which he predicts to be approximately 100 years, depending on future energy substitutions. He sees planning for amelioration of the slowly encroaching variations as the way to reap the most benefits from the climatic changes. (PSB)
94 citations
"The Real Cause of Global Warming an..." refers background in this paper
...But such a fallacy is made when the temperature increase of the atmosphere is compared with the increase of its CO2 concentration as it was first published 1982 by the ‘Scientific American’ [6]....
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