--- continued from above ---

Lastly, you mention the flat earth theory. Well, it was never men of modern scientific learning that have claimed this. In fact, even the ancient Greeks knew that world is spherical. They even calculated its radius quite accurately by using real life observation/measurements and applying geometric reasoning. The flat earthers were mainly men of religion.

It is obvious that over the millennia much of the world's CO2 which fed the abundant flora that fuelled the dinosaurs has been locked up by many natural processes such as limestone formation. Our flora has thus been living on starvation rations for centuries.

While I don't believe coal & oil are dinosaur juice, the product of ancient forests, if they were, burning them would only be returning the natural balance to the planet's atmosphere. As it is burning them is an imperative for healthy flora. Ain't green ideology wonderful.

Regardless, by increasing the level of CO2, we are feeding the flora, upon which all fauna depends for its food & oxygen. This simple fact should be obvious to any thinking person.

Luciferase, a good question. Part of the answer is of course that they do not require any more wheat, & it is not a really highly rewarding crop. No, the more rewarding crop today in the US is corn. The crazy mandate for ethanol to be included in US petrol has caused a dramatic increase in demand for corn to feed the refineries.

Thus they waste much effort producing an inferior liquid fuel, while increasing the output of CO2 to do it. As the whole ethanol thing was supposed to reduce CO2 I guess this is one of the good unintended consequences of ratbag green ideology. At least it gives us something to laugh at in this increasingly depressing world.

I agree with thinkabit on the economic viablity of thorium reactors. That are not viable at the moment and not likely to be for a long time. See UK NNL, "Comparison of thorium and uranium fuel cycles" https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/65504/6300-comparison-fuel-cycles.pdf

"NNL has recently published a position paper on thorium [1] which attempts to take a
balanced view of the relative advantages and disadvantages of the thorium fuel cycle.
Thorium has theoretical advantages regarding sustainability, reducing radiotoxicity and
reducing proliferation risk. NNL’s position paper finds that while there is some
justification for these benefits, they are often over stated. "

"Innovative thorium fuelled
reactors will not be a viable alternative for at least 20 to 30 years and definitely cannot
meet the new build timescales. A limited role for thorium fuels in new build LWRs might
be possible at a later date, with perhaps a partial transition to thorium-U233 fuels later in
their lifetimes and any major shift towards the thorium fuel cycle would only be realistic
in a follow-on programme of reactor construction.

Thorium fuelled reactors have already been advocated as being inherently safer than
LWRs [18], but the basis of these claims is not sufficiently substantiated and will not be
for many years, if at all

//Regardless, by increasing the level of CO2//

We are depleting the amount of O2 available in the atmosphere. So predicts 1st Baron Kelvin of Largs, a well-established scientist who really know his stuff:

http://zapatopi.net/kelvin/papers/end_of_free_oxygen.html

Some highlights, for those who cannot be bothered chasing links:

//On an average it requires three tons of oxygen to consume one ton of fuel, and the oxygen that exists in our atmosphere is practically all the supply available for the purpose. As shown by the barometer the average weight of the air is 14.9 pounds to the square inch, which gives a total weight for the earth of 1,020,000,000,000 tons of oxygen. At the rate of three tons of oxygen to one ton of fuel, the weight of fuel which can be consumed by this oxygen is 340,000,000,000 tons.

Now to see how the oxygen can keep pace with the fuel. The whole world consumes about 600,000,000 tons of coal a year, and to this must be added the consumption of oxygen by wood and other vegetable substances which raises the equivalent coal consumption of the world to not less than 1,000,000,000 tons a year.

Thus, even at the present rate of fuel consumption there is only oxygen to last 340 years, and long before this time the atmosphere would have become so vitiated with carbonic acid gas, and so weakened in oxygen, that either we should have to emigrate to some other sphere, or else give up the habit of breathing altogether.//

//Air will no longer be free, for it will be manufactured and sold like any other necessary. Those who will not work for their daily air supply, and who cannot afford to buy it, will perish, for Nature will have exhausted her supply. The artificial air will be stored up in enormous reservoirs, and to these receptacles applicants will come for their daily supply of oxygen. This will then be carried home and doled out to the family as part of the day's means to support life. The manufactured oxygen will be breathed in as a diver inhales the air supplied him when he sinks beneath the waves.

"'Died from air starvation' will be a common verdict in the coroners' courts of the future, for 'no money, no air,' will be the rule of life. The wealthy will gain a reputation for charity by free gifts of air to the aged poor at Christmas time. Men and women will no longer be able to look at each other with eyes of love, for everyone will be clothed in a great air helmet, like a diver of to-day."//