Should CO2 be regulated as a pollutant by the EPA?

Question

Will the EPA then regulate my breathing?

The EPA has NOT regulated CO2 as a pollutant in the past. Now the Supreme Court says they should on a 5-4 vote. Wow.

Bob: The idea of a delicate balance of nature was abandoned by most scientists long ago. A natural state of dynamic disequilibrium is the norm. On good volcano can create as much CO2 as humans create in a decade. Also, how do you explain drastic decreasing global temperatures from 1945 - 1975 when CO2 was rising?

Answer 1

The day the EPA sets standards and starts regulating CO2 will be the day you can kiss your economic future goodbye.

Any regulated industry that is able will simply move production offshore and take the associated jobs with it. The US will have committed economic suicide for no gain as China, India and others DO NOT regulate CO2 emissions. So, the atmospheric concentration of CO2 will not change as a result - the generation point will simply move to a different part of the world along with good American jobs.

So, for all you that cheered the Supreme Court decision declaring that CO2 is a regulatable pollutant get ready for the loss of economic opportunity.

Be very careful for what you wish!

Answer 2

CO2 a green house gas would be hard to regulate as all living things give it off. However, it is the burning of fossil fuels that causes the problems with the warming of the atmosphere like a greenhouse. We could use far fewer fossil fuels, use alternate forms of energy and cause much less polution. It is not the CO2 that needs to be regulated, but the internal combustion engines and the coal burning electricity plants, and other industrial users.

Answer 3

Of course it should. EPA's arguments as to why they haven't have always been weird. Now the Supreme Court has called them on it.

Scientific data (some referenced below) shows that man made carbon dioxide and natural carbon dioxide have very different effects. They can be analyzed independently by their characteristics.

There are a great many natural sources and sinks for carbon dioxide. But the present global warming is (mostly) the result of man made CO2 from burning fossil fuels. Details:

There is a natural "carbon cycle" that recycles natural CO2. But it's a delicate balance and we're messing it up.

Look at this graph.

http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/graphics_gallery/mauna_loa_record/mlo_record.html

The little squiggles are nature doing its' thing. CO2 falls a bit during summer when plants are active, and rises during the winter. The huge increase is us, burning fossil fuels (in addition to the shape of the graph, the increase numerically matches the increase in fossil fuel use; an unlikely coincidence). The natural carbon cycle buried carbon in fossil fuels over a very long time, little bit by little bit. We dig them up and burn them, real fast. That's a problem.

Man is upsetting the balance of nature. We need to fix that.

Answer 4

CO2, the alarming greenhouse gas, comprises nearly 0.04% of our atmosphere. Another greenhouse gas exists in our atmosphere at concentrations from 26 to 100 times that of CO2. Both gases absorb and/or reflect radiation in nearly the same infrared wavelengths. The other, more concentrated gas is called water vapor.

At the current alarming rate of increase of CO2 it will be a very, very long time before it has an appreciable effect on our planet's temperature, when compared to water vapor.

Answer 5

Haven't you heard - the government are going to regulate air. Soon we'll all be equipped with air tanks from which to breath, they'll be available from government outlets and highly taxed. Miniature air tanks will be available for pets.

There'll be large fines imposed on decaying animals and plants that pollute the atmosphere and farmers will have to cork the butts of all their animals to prevent methane gas leaks.

Answer 6

CO2 is already regulated, some states regulate it further, eg. california with strict automobile regulations. they just enforce human induced pollution for things like industries. they are required to keep CO2 emissions under a certain concentration depending on where the business is located.

Answer 7

Doubtful, because humans and other animals release C02 as a natural process. However, they may regulate the C02 released from automobile emissions, since increased levels of C02 is a contributing factor to global warming.

Answer 8

CO2 is already regulated, but, the thought that they could regulate your breathing is just ludicrous. They regulate everything else though, so be very careful..
Join the Libertarians and they'll help you figure it out.

Answer 9

We need regulations on breathing...I never knew of anyone, who , after breathing all their life, didn't die. It's scandalous, 100% mortality...The government should act now.!!!! LOL