Sustainability and CO2

The problem with sustainability practices in our industry is that many or most think that sustainability is related to emissions from hydrocarbon combustion .  The existence of the SPE CCUS technical section (Carbon Capture, Utilization , and Storage) is evidence of this.  Utilization as a miscible or near miscible solvent is the only part of that making any sense, since capture and storage is not possibly economic or beneficial - see our CCUS page.  CO2 emissions are not related to global warming and have not been proven to be.  Sustainability has absolutely nothing to do with the misperceptions that increased CO2 is causing climate change or any real "social issues" whatsoever, except that we have to convince the public that they have been fooled by fraudulent "climate scientists" employed by governments.  The "Climategate" emails certainly prove that.  A government panel made up of more fraudulent government employees found otherwise of course.

The main issue with sustainability of any industry is sustainability of the economy (economies) in which they operate, and protection of national industry from international advantages through fair tariffs or import minimums.  Otherwise, that industry is lost to other nations, as has been happening to American manufacturing and production for decades.

Confused economists and market analysts and the liberal press have been driving markets down with “fake news” based on fear that tariffs will cause increased costs and slow the world’s economies.  That’s not true.  Fair tariffs protect national industries and economies.  For example, if we put an infinite tariff on imported steel, the short-term effect would in fact be increased steel prices, but the longer term and more important effect would be revival of the US steel industry along with a significant boost to our economy.  It would hurt the economy of exporting countries of course by decreasing their demand, but it ultimately increases the economies of the protecting countries and their stability, prosperity, and national security.  This is true of all industries and economies of all nations and is especially true in commodities such as energy and agricultural products.

Many misleading articles can be found about exporters losing market due to increasing tariffs.  None recognize the fact that we in the US import far, far more than we export.  If tariff percentages on both sizes are increased equally, it would then obviously benefit the US economy as a net-importer, while it hurts the economy of countries who are net-exporters.  Remember that the purpose of tariffs is to compensate for any international advantages in cost of production to protect the national economy.

The main real environmental issues related to our industry are the production of plastic and its disposal and dumping in our waters.  (Other) toxic waste dumped into our waters has been killing the oceans about since the Industrial Revolution began in America.  All experienced fishermen are witnesses to the decline in marine life of almost all species over their lifetime.  The only land animals thriving are those benefitting from agriculture and agricultural development.  Incompetent "climate scientists" note that temperature increases at dead spots/reefs in the ocean having no oxygen indicate that increased temperature is the cause, rather than pollution which has killed the plant life and thus also all animal life, stopping photosynthesis which is an endothermic reaction! We estimate that pollution and deforestation have decreased total oxygen production (plant life) on earth by about 50% since 1950.  Published estimates are that up to 80% of the oxygen produced on earth comes from our waters, and that up to 60%  of that has been lost to water pollution over the last 70 years.  That obviously would cause increased CO2 and decreased O2 in the atmosphere along with global warming, since the energy that was formerly used by plant life to produce oxygen is now absorbed and re-radiated as heat.  Urban development certainly generates heat.  A simple comparison of the temperature at the middle of an asphalt parking lot in the summer with that at the floor of an adjacent forest certainly supports that argument.

The solution to our real environmental and sustainability problems (in addition to stable national economies and governments in which spending, debt, and printing of paper money are limited and private property is not confiscated, but citizenship is required for ownership of any property or business as in most countries) is that we must ban all ocean dumping and require the recycling of all plastic.  And we should put a bounty on trash collected at sea to make it profitable rather than tax or regulate CO2 emissions!  The latter can only cause severe economic decline and cannot possibly have any positive effect, except for those attempting or accomplishing confiscation of private property through those taxes, or for those profiting from regulation.  CO2 is plant food and increased levels are beneficial to all plant and animal life and to regulation of the temperature of our planet, since it increases the rates of plant growth and the natural cooling resulting from endothermic conversion of solar energy and CO2 to oxygen by photosynthesis.