Why do skeptics attribute atmospheric carbon dioxide to volcanism?

Question

I hear this all the time and it really confuses me. Volcanoes spew up water vapor, carbon dioxide and sulpher dioxide. The carbon dioxide amounts to 130-230 teragrams of carbon dioxide each year. That is 130 million metric tons. In 2003, according to the Energy Information Administration was 45 times higher, at 5,780.2 million metric tons. So, one nation produced 45 times more than all the volcanism in the world.
And volcanoes, main output sulpher, acts to cool the lower atmosphere and earth's surface by increasing reflection of solar radiation. If you aren't aware, chemical reactions change sulpher dioxide to sulphuric acid. This aerosol acts as nuclei for water vapor. More cloud coverage means a lower temperature. This is why temperature dipped slightly after Mt. Pinatubo's eruption in the mid 20th century.
So anyway my point is why do people say OH VOLCANOES ARE WAY WORSE THAN HUMANS. Or BLAME VOLCANOES FOR GLOBAL WARMING. Where does this misinformation come from?!

Oh can you guys give me specific people or organizations?
I know one (the Republican from Ok. on the Environmental Committee).

Answer 1

Such misinformation is spread by those with vested interests in fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. they don't want the energy production from these sources to be reduced since that affects their bottom line.

Answer 2

For many years big oil companies financed so-called "scientists" to spread the word that global warming is not caused by fossil fuels related to human activities. However, when it comes to real science backed by peer reviewed journals, there is no debate whatsoever, it is in fact caused by us. Thanks to the overwhelming evidence the oil companies stopped financing those groups.
And to answer to your question with a question, is it not much easier to blame the volcanoes then ourselves? Because each and every of us are responsible. When we choose to by an SUV instead of a fuel-efficient car, turn up the heat instead of putting on a sweater or not changing our light bulbs to those funny looking yet very efficient ones we all add to global warming. And there is the corporate and governmental responsibility. Do not ask me why there aren’t more really fuel-efficient cars on the market when the technology is there. Why alternative energy - like solar - are not cheaper to install? The government says the market will regulate the prices. The corporations say there is no market for it, so it does not worth to invest. I believe it should be the government who makes the initial investment by giving big tax incentives to the people who choose to buy environmentally friendly things. Enough to make it affordable.
The bottom line is this, we are all together in this and we all have to make some sacrifice, even financial ones, if we want to preserve our planet to the generations to come.

Answer 3

Your figure for US production of CO2 (it is not entirely clear from your wording that that is what you mean, but it fits) is credible, and in line with my estimates. I have no data at hand to appraise your figure for volcanic emission of CO2, and cannot even guess as to its reasonableness. One may suppose that such CO2 arises from thermal decomposition of subducted limestone -- not that that helps much. When thinking about this, one should consider the CO2 dissolved in the ocean, which is some 50 times as much as is in the atmosphere; there is an equilibrium between atmospheric CO2, ocean CO2, and precipitated calcium carbonate, which would tend to control the atmospheric level, but the equilibrium would be slow to establish. My principal issue with the present Chcken Little-ness is that the analysis of correlation between CO2 and temperature is based (necessarily, of course) on computer simulations, and there is no good way to appraise how good these are. The dubious accuracy of computer-generated weather forecasts does give one pause.

The more salient question, if we suppose that the alarm is valid, is what to do about it. Any fix will be expensive. A piece of the UN has proposed a 50-year program, at a cost of $557,000,000,000,000 -- far more than the total value of every asset on the planet.

Answer 4

the majority of CO2, comes from automobiles, jet planes, and factories. together they make up about 65-70 percent of atmospheric CO2.