"On a warm day CO2 will heat up faster than the other air molecules, but on a cold day it will cool faster and lose its heat. So how exactly is CO2 supposed to warm the planet if it loses its heat?
HERE is how science is supposed to be done, with research, empirical verification, and a healthy dose of native intelligence and humor. Citing Specific Heats and Thermodynamics, Pinn follows a simple yet sound approach. Indeed, if the key to an atmospheric greenhouse effect is just the ability of certain gases to hold onto heat, thus yielding up the warmth they've stored when the earth rotates into night, Pinn's conclusions are very solid. The most important hint the earth offers us is that it is cooler than predicted by day and warmer at night. With only minor quibbles here and there (for instance, the confusion between the specific heats of water vs water vapor) I'd call this essay quite a gem.
Surrounded by a vacuum, the earth can only lose heat by radiation. And what are 'greenhouse gases' famous for? Radiating. AS.
Why Carbon Dioxide is Not a Greenhouse Gas
Published August 26, 2008 by: William Pinn
I'm sitting here typing on my computer and basking in the coolness of another summer day here in Roseville, California. Did I say coolness? Yes I did. You see, we folks in Roseville are experiencing a summer with record cool temperatures.