Loren49
Veteran Member
I don't pretend to be a climate expert. I defer to those I feel are the experts just as I would if I had a medical issue.
The majority of accidents involve one or more passenger vehicles. (I'm guessing) I have observed many times when people in large 4WD vehicles were traveling considerable faster than conditions warrant. I've also seen them in the ditch. A coworker once told me how confident she felt in her SUV and didn't mind traveling in a snowstorm. (not a good combination) Overconfident drivers in large vehicles (or any vehicle) are dangerous. I had assumed (my mistake) that it was obvious that I was not excluding trucking. Clearly rail is a way more energy efficient way to move cargo. If true fuel costs where not hidden our methods would change.
Commercial Vehicles and traffic safety
http://www.truckinfo.net/trucking/stats.htm#Accident Stats
What are some accident statistics?
Estimates of 41,000 to 45,000 traffic deaths occur every year within the U.S.. Walkers and bikers account for 15% of the total traffic deaths each year. Fewer than 9% of those deaths involve commercial vehicles. More than 80% of those accidents are the fault of the non-commercial driver. Of those death related accidents only 4% of trucks are fatigue related. Drinking related accounted for .06% of those accidents.
I'm interested in the source of the pie chart. That is not a chart CO2 contributions or is it? The following speaks on the water vapor issue but separates that from the effect of other greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Role of water vapor
Main article: water vapor
Increasing water vapor in the stratosphere at Boulder, Colorado.
Water vapor accounts for the largest percentage of the greenhouse effect, between 36% and 66% for water vapor alone, and between 66% and 85% when factoring in clouds.[9] However, the warming due to the greenhouse effect of cloud cover is, at least in part, mitigated by the change in the Earth's albedo. According to NASA, "The overall effect of all clouds together is that the Earth's surface is cooler than it would be if the atmosphere had no clouds." (cf. NASA Clouds and Radiation) Water vapor concentrations fluctuate regionally, but human activity does not significantly affect water vapor concentrations except at local scales, such as near irrigated fields. According to the Environmental Health Center of the National Safety Council, water vapor constitutes as much as 2% of the atmosphere.[32]
The Clausius-Clapeyron relation establishes that air can hold more water vapor per unit volume when it warms. This and other basic principles indicate that warming associated with increased concentrations of the other greenhouse gases also will increase the concentration of water vapor.
Since about 1750 human activity has increased the concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Measured atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are currently 100 ppmv higher than pre-industrial levels.[22] Natural sources of carbon dioxide are more than 20 times greater than sources due to human activity,[23] but over periods longer than a few years natural sources are closely balanced by natural sinks such as weathering of continental rocks and photosynthesis of carbon compounds by plants and marine plankton. As a result of this balance, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide remained between 260 and 280 parts per million for the 10,000 years between the end of the last glacial maximum and the start of the industrial era.[24]
It is likely that anthropogenic warming, such as that due to elevated greenhouse gas levels, has had a discernible influence on many physical and biological systems. Warming is projected to affect various issues such as freshwater resources, industry, food and health.[25]
The main sources of greenhouse gases due to human activity are:
burning of fossil fuels and deforestation leading to higher carbon dioxide concentrations. Land use change (mainly deforestation in the tropics) account for up to one third of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions.[24]
livestock enteric fermentation and manure management,[26] paddy rice farming, land use and wetland changes, pipeline losses, and covered vented landfill emissions leading to higher methane atmospheric concentrations. Many of the newer style fully vented septic systems that enhance and target the fermentation process also are sources of atmospheric methane.
use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in refrigeration systems, and use of CFCs and halons in fire suppression systems and manufacturing processes.
agricultural activities, including the use of fertilizers, that lead to higher nitrous oxide (N2O) concentrations.
The seven sources of CO2 from fossil fuel combustion are (with percentage contributions for 2000?004):[27]
Solid fuels (e.g., coal): 35%
Liquid fuels (e.g., gasoline, fuel oil): 36%
Gaseous fuels (e.g., natural gas): 20%
Flaring gas industrially and at wells: <1%
Cement production: 3%
Non-fuel hydrocarbons: < 1%
The "international bunkers" of shipping and air transport not included in national inventories: 4%
Again it seems that the vast majority of scientists attribute part of the issue to human activity with fossil fuels. It seems unlikely that the burning of nearly 100 million barrels of oil per day has no consequences. (20 million for the US)
Loren
The majority of accidents involve one or more passenger vehicles. (I'm guessing) I have observed many times when people in large 4WD vehicles were traveling considerable faster than conditions warrant. I've also seen them in the ditch. A coworker once told me how confident she felt in her SUV and didn't mind traveling in a snowstorm. (not a good combination) Overconfident drivers in large vehicles (or any vehicle) are dangerous. I had assumed (my mistake) that it was obvious that I was not excluding trucking. Clearly rail is a way more energy efficient way to move cargo. If true fuel costs where not hidden our methods would change.
Commercial Vehicles and traffic safety
http://www.truckinfo.net/trucking/stats.htm#Accident Stats
What are some accident statistics?
Estimates of 41,000 to 45,000 traffic deaths occur every year within the U.S.. Walkers and bikers account for 15% of the total traffic deaths each year. Fewer than 9% of those deaths involve commercial vehicles. More than 80% of those accidents are the fault of the non-commercial driver. Of those death related accidents only 4% of trucks are fatigue related. Drinking related accounted for .06% of those accidents.
I'm interested in the source of the pie chart. That is not a chart CO2 contributions or is it? The following speaks on the water vapor issue but separates that from the effect of other greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Role of water vapor
Main article: water vapor
Increasing water vapor in the stratosphere at Boulder, Colorado.
Water vapor accounts for the largest percentage of the greenhouse effect, between 36% and 66% for water vapor alone, and between 66% and 85% when factoring in clouds.[9] However, the warming due to the greenhouse effect of cloud cover is, at least in part, mitigated by the change in the Earth's albedo. According to NASA, "The overall effect of all clouds together is that the Earth's surface is cooler than it would be if the atmosphere had no clouds." (cf. NASA Clouds and Radiation) Water vapor concentrations fluctuate regionally, but human activity does not significantly affect water vapor concentrations except at local scales, such as near irrigated fields. According to the Environmental Health Center of the National Safety Council, water vapor constitutes as much as 2% of the atmosphere.[32]
The Clausius-Clapeyron relation establishes that air can hold more water vapor per unit volume when it warms. This and other basic principles indicate that warming associated with increased concentrations of the other greenhouse gases also will increase the concentration of water vapor.
Since about 1750 human activity has increased the concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Measured atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are currently 100 ppmv higher than pre-industrial levels.[22] Natural sources of carbon dioxide are more than 20 times greater than sources due to human activity,[23] but over periods longer than a few years natural sources are closely balanced by natural sinks such as weathering of continental rocks and photosynthesis of carbon compounds by plants and marine plankton. As a result of this balance, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide remained between 260 and 280 parts per million for the 10,000 years between the end of the last glacial maximum and the start of the industrial era.[24]
It is likely that anthropogenic warming, such as that due to elevated greenhouse gas levels, has had a discernible influence on many physical and biological systems. Warming is projected to affect various issues such as freshwater resources, industry, food and health.[25]
The main sources of greenhouse gases due to human activity are:
burning of fossil fuels and deforestation leading to higher carbon dioxide concentrations. Land use change (mainly deforestation in the tropics) account for up to one third of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions.[24]
livestock enteric fermentation and manure management,[26] paddy rice farming, land use and wetland changes, pipeline losses, and covered vented landfill emissions leading to higher methane atmospheric concentrations. Many of the newer style fully vented septic systems that enhance and target the fermentation process also are sources of atmospheric methane.
use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in refrigeration systems, and use of CFCs and halons in fire suppression systems and manufacturing processes.
agricultural activities, including the use of fertilizers, that lead to higher nitrous oxide (N2O) concentrations.
The seven sources of CO2 from fossil fuel combustion are (with percentage contributions for 2000?004):[27]
Solid fuels (e.g., coal): 35%
Liquid fuels (e.g., gasoline, fuel oil): 36%
Gaseous fuels (e.g., natural gas): 20%
Flaring gas industrially and at wells: <1%
Cement production: 3%
Non-fuel hydrocarbons: < 1%
The "international bunkers" of shipping and air transport not included in national inventories: 4%
Again it seems that the vast majority of scientists attribute part of the issue to human activity with fossil fuels. It seems unlikely that the burning of nearly 100 million barrels of oil per day has no consequences. (20 million for the US)
Loren
