Just when you thought of giving up your car, the benefits of burning fossil fuel has come to light. Yes, the use of fossil fuels is greening the planet not killing it, despite the bad rap they’ve been given by politicians and governments hell-bent on banning the good green news.
Reporting a phenomenon that is getting increased attention, Matt Ridley says the earth is getting greener. Ridley is the author of The Rational Optimist, a must-read for the decade, and presenter in his acclaimed video, a must-see also. But why a greener earth?
The greening of the planet in recent decades appears to be happening because of, not despite, our reliance on fossil fuels. While environmentalists often talk about how bad stuff like CO2 causes bad things to happen like global warming, it turns out that the plants aren’t complaining.
The proof is in the plants
With more of the earth greening, deserts are receding. Where once nothing grew, green plants now sprout. They grow in places never before, and they do so with less water.
What the media won’t say about CO2 is demonstrated in the laboratory. Studies showed that a variety of plants, trees, and food crops grew up to 191% better with the addition of 300 ppm CO2. With plants growing better, there’s more food to be grown around the world. World hunger goes away. Who is not for ending famine?
Ridley also points out another important but unrecognized benefit of fossil fuels. The green plants that we cut down for consumer products — such as forest trees for lumber, fibers, furniture, and building materials — are now spared. Forests can now proliferate, less land is needed for the world’s food production, more land is returned to nature. Who could possibly be against more of a more natural environment?
Manufactured from fossil fuels
Fossil fuel resources not only make energy and leave more land to nature, they make the plethora of products we use every day, including fabrics, plastics, building materials, ointments, baby oil, cosmetics, computers, carpets, and innumerable others Pick up any product and it is likely made from fossil fuels or fueled the machines that made the product. Like it or not, we all are major users of fossil fuels and saving the planet by using products made from fossil fuels instead!
But, many don’t know it or fess up to the fact that fossil fuels are the best thing to have happened to humanity.
No sacrifice
The very best thing about using fossil fuels is that it never killed anyone as many of the renewable energy alternatives do. Consider that wind power kills birds, ethanol bio fuels removes food from our tables in favor of required burning in our automobiles, and solar power sacrifices the subsidy of the poor by subsidizing elites under sunny solar-powered roofs.
Fossil fuels never required killing someone or something to get it.
