# CO2 emmissions: There's nothing to be done except trimming some of the earths populat

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-emmissions-theres-nothing-to-be-done-except-trimming-some-of-the-earths-populat/490381>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [March 22, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-emmissions-theres-nothing-to-be-done-except-trimming-some-of-the-earths-populat/490381 "2009-03-22T21:14:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-emmissions-theres-nothing-to-be-done-except-trimming-some-of-the-earths-populat/490381/41 "2009-03-28T16:39:17Z")

</div>

**CP** if you care to participate I’ve started a [separate thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10981732#post10981732) to discuss the dangers of over-population.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-emmissions-theres-nothing-to-be-done-except-trimming-some-of-the-earths-populat/490381/42 "2009-03-28T17:11:06Z")

</div>

> [@RickJay](#):
>
> I’m sorry, but are you saying that burning wood doesn’t put carbon into the atmosphere?

It releases CO2 that was sequestered by the tree’s respiratory system only a few seasons past. Burning coal or petroleum, OTOH, releases CO2 that has been buried under the ground for millions of years – a whole lot of it all at once by geological-time-scale standards. You see the difference? That’s what makes ethanol a more greenhouse-gas-neutral fuel than petroleum. There might not be any difference in the tailpipe emissions, but with ethanol we’re merely recycling CO2 currently in the atmosphere – the corn breathes it in, the car puts it out, the corn breathes it in again.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-emmissions-theres-nothing-to-be-done-except-trimming-some-of-the-earths-populat/490381/43 "2009-03-28T19:39:34Z")

</div>

> [@Public\_Animal\_No.9](#):
>
> I’ve seen calculations that show very strong correlations between the decline in population growth in industrialized countries and a decline in stork population. The obvious conclusion is that, contrary to the hype of the medical community, babies are indeed delivered by storks.

The difference, though, is that it has been established that CO2 is a green-house gas. The correlation between CO2 and temperature is not proof of AGW but it is evidence that scientists are on the right track.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co2-emmissions-theres-nothing-to-be-done-except-trimming-some-of-the-earths-populat/490381.md?page=2)