Climate busters...

"The picture here is of an active volcano in Nicaragua. It is one of only a handful of active volcanoes in the ring of fire..."

As much as I would like to buy into this notion that humans are responsible for climate change, I am not quite there as yet. Looking back at the history of our planet, climate is always changing. And that is a good thing. For if it was not, I would be penning this article under a mile of ice.

So what or who are the biggest polluters or causes of climate change on the planet? Is it us? The Chinese? The good people of India? Who is it? Not a who or whom, but what. It is volcanos. Or the sun. Or El Nino. Or some other force of nature.

For example, in June of 1991, a little known volcano in the Philippine Islands erupted. It is named Mount Pinatubo. The explosion affected just about everything on the planet for over a year. How big was it? It ejected as many particulates into the atmosphere as the Krakatoa eruption did in 1883. And that is a bunch! 

In other words, it made what humans do seem puny. And then there is the sun. Nothing can warm up the planet more than the sun. And a solar flare with the right trajectory and horsepower can do great damage. The sun, volcanos, and whatever else in nature are responsible for major climate shifts. Ice ages, then warm ups, then ice ages, and now receding ice. The climate and the weather have been constantly changing over the eons.

Saying all that, I am going to disclose something surprising. I think it is time to make the next leap in technology. Some say we already have it, but powerful forces which rule the worldwide petroleum industry are keeping it squelched. My thought on that - urban legend. The person, the company, the country which comes up with a clean burning, unlimited source of energy will have fame and fortune for many decades to come. And I still think it is right around the corner. It will not wind, and will probably involve some solar. However, my guess the big shebang will involve hydrogen extracted from water. And it will be done at a "go to market" price, affordable to all.

Once we have cleaner and more abundant energy sources, we can go back to using oil for one of its intended purposes - a raw material used in various manufacturing processes. But guess what will also happen? The climate will continue to change. And we won't have the burning of fossil fuels to blame anymore. We will have to blame another alleged villain - maybe cow farts.

Today, the COP21 Conference comes to a close. Lots and lots of talk about climate and climate change. The one cause of climate change once again escaped the spotlight. In fact, I bet nobody talked about it. And that cause is Mother Nature. Our planet itself. Included with that is Sol. Our star which is the giver and sustainer of life of this planet. Nope - once again, I think nature skated on this one.