On zero carbon footprints and electric cars

By Engr. Edgar Mana-ay

 

One of the main platforms of the winning Democrats as prepared by progressives Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ocasio Cortez is to ZERO OUT net carbon dioxide (CO2) emission of the U.S. by 2035. Even British Petroleum (BP), a well-known global oil company had coined this slogan: “A net-zero company by 2050 or sooner!” This to them is the politically correct statement that will endear them to the innocent public. An in-depth assessment on the nature of CO2 will show that the above objective is deceiving the public (gina into ang tawo).

CO2 is a “greenhouse gas” emitted by exhausts of coal or gas-fired power plants, road vehicles and stationary engines burning fossil fuels (coal, petroleum or gas) that traps solar heat near the earth’s surface, thus warming the earth. The planet Venus has a dense atmosphere composed mostly of CO2 which traps so much solar heat that its surface temperature average a scorching 480C. Earth has comparatively very little CO2 in its atmosphere enough to keep most of its surface above freezing but not too hot to support life.

For billions of years (the earth is 4.5 billion years old!) and until now, CO2 has been circulating in the ecosystem in a complex path. Known as the Carbon Cycle it starts when CO2 is released to the atmosphere by decaying organic matters such as trees, exhaust from coal-fired power plants and vehicles and from volcanic eruptions. The CO2 in the atmosphere will dissolve in water vapor to form carbonic acid (H2CO3). This natural weak acid will fall as part of rain. Carbonic acid as part of rain reacts with sediments and rocks known as chemical weathering. This releases calcium ions and bicarbonates ions (HC03) which are carried by rivers into the sea.

Precipitation of CaCO3 mineral (which started as CO2 in the atmosphere) in the ocean forms layers of limestone rock. Deep burial of limestone leads to metamorphism causing the formation of calcium silicate materials and carbon dioxide. CO2 remains trapped in the Earth’s interior until released by volcanic eruption to complete the CO2 cycle of going back to the atmosphere again. When the earth’s climate is warm, chemical weathering and the formation of limestone (CaCO3) increase drawing CO2 from the atmosphere which cools the climate. When global climate cools, chemical weathering and limestone formation slow down, allowing CO2 to accumulate in the atmosphere from volcanic eruptions and human emission from the burning of fossil fuels which warms the earth. This is how the natural thermostat of the earth functions.

We cannot be totally free from carbon dioxide because the carbon cycle is nature’s way of keeping the circulation of carbon for the sustenance of living creatures. If such a carbon-free world should really happen, which is IMPOSSIBLE as explained above, then the world will look like a dessert since all plants and trees will disappear being deprived of their basic nourishment (carbon). In elementary grade, our teachers taught us that trees need CO2 intake to cook food in its leaves via photosynthesis (utilizing the heat of the sun) so that the carbon part of CO2 becomes its bodybuilding block. In the process, it returns the oxygen part of CO2 to the atmosphere for us humans to breathe and exhale CO2! That’s why staying in the forest is a very refreshing experience because of its very clean air.

Most living things, including humans, will die for lack of carbon in their basic food and internal heating. Carbon being the basic building block in protein (50% carbon content) which just like trees makes our muscles and bones (bones are made of 15% carbon). Trees give us a valuable lesson on how carbon in CO2 affects living things. According to scientific studies, during the period from 1961 and 2010, the CO2 content in the air increased from about 320 ppm (parts per million) to 400 ppm; an increase of 25%. During this period, the net primary plant production in the world increased by 21.5%. A similar study shows a 10% increase in CO2 resulted in an 8% increase in vegetation. It stands therefore to reason, that any 50% decrease in atmospheric CO2 could result in a 40% reduction in plants and trees. 

The carbon cycle shows that most of the carbon in the air is absorbed by land and oceans. Measurement showed that the portion of CO2 absorbed by land between 1950 and 2010 has doubled (coinciding with a period of the highest human CO2 production as claimed). Judging by all of this, politicians and activists should be very careful when fighting CO2 and should be aware of the unintended consequences. In the carbon cycle, mother nature always finds a way to balance chemical or physical effects and to reduce excesses whenever they occur. This is exemplified that when carbon in the air increases, more carbon is also absorbed by land and oceans.

A craze among the rich especially in the U.S. is to own an expensive ELECTRIC CAR (about double the cost of a similar size and brand car using petroleum fuel) to show that not only they have lots of money but they also protect the environment because of its zero exhaust, hence does not contribute to CO2 buildup in the atmosphere. This showing off is nonsense and baloney because using an electric car will in fact even increase CO2 emission to the atmosphere and also consumes double energy than a petrol fuel car.

It is common in the US gasoline service stations to have a charging area where electric cars can “fill in” electricity to recharge its battery instead of refilling fuels at the pump island. Just like in our homes, our electric power comes from a faraway place where coal or natural gas-fired electric power plants are located which of course emits CO2 in the process of burning its fuel. Electricity has to travel through energy-absorbing stations (LOSSES) – generators, substations, transmission and finally stored in the car batteries. Studies show that the final output at the car motor cable connector is only 25% of the original energy input to the power plant. If gasoline is directly filled to a car gas tank, 100% of the fuel energy is used to run the car while in the electric car only 25% of the fuel energy feed to the power plants is utilized to power the car.

A privately owned gasoline car averages 10,000 miles/year and an average electric car uses 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh) per 2.5 miles driven, hence for one year will require 4,000 kWh or 110 kw/day or equivalent to 2.5 gallons of oil. A gasoline car gets 20 miles/gal. and therefore will only average 1.4 gal/day which has an energy equivalent of 1.17 gallons of oil. Therefore an electric car will use 2.5 – 1.17 = 1.33 gallons/day MORE of equivalent oil than a gasoline car. Energy-wise, who says electric cars are more economical to use? Let us not, therefore, be carried away by these politically correct but foolish and stupid hypotheses. For according to Anatole France: “If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing”.