Separating More Myths From Reality

Today I was looking at the Facebook page of somebody I sorta know. I will call him Tom.

Tom posted this image:

 

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Geez.

 

Under the image Tom wrote:

During the Industrial revolution in the Victorian and early Edwardian era Every city was spewing Coal and Wood smoke into the sky. We burned wood or coal at home too. Every city looked like this. For the last 30 yrs we have been told the earth is [in] danger [if] we don’t address pollution and climate change we are supposedly causing. All this based on models and our economy is being ruined. Amazingly, NO “Climate scientist” can explain why, given the levels of pollution caused during the Industrial Revolution, why this planet isn’t toast, as that “elusive warming” should have hit us between 1930-1960. We pollute less now than we EVER did during the Industrial revolution. Share this to spread common sense!

The image is powerful, and most people will look at it and think: Wow! We certainly do not pollute like that anymore! And they will conclude that Tom’s comments must, therefore, be correct.

Ah, no.

Tom wrote: We pollute less now than we EVER did during the Industrial revolution. 

I replied to Tom:

The global population in 1840 was about 1.2 billion. Today it is 7 billion. In 1840 there were no automobiles. In 1840 China had essentially no pollution; today is creating massive pollution. Global Carbon Dioxide emissions from fossil-fuels has gone from about zero in 1900 to its highest level today. Carbon Dioxide levels are at a record high, and are 42 percent higher than before the Industrial Age. I can go on and on.

Finding these facts took me less than five minutes doing Google searches.

Tom stated that we pollute less today then we used to.

The facts overwhelmingly prove otherwise.

Tom asked that people share his post to spread common sense.

But the post has nothing to do with common sense. It is about perpetrating myths. It is about a willful denial of reality.

Oh, here are some more pictures. Tom did not post these:

 

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SALT LAKE CITY, 2013.

 

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Factories in China.

 

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Air pollution caused 7 million deaths globally in 2012, according to new estimates by the World Health Organization. Above, heavily polluted air in the northern Chinese city of Harbin. (Associated Press)

1 Comment

  1. tiffaney jewel on October 9, 2015 at 12:08 am

    And have you SEEN Mexico City? Yikes.

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