The second major problem I have is the global warming system. It is filled with fallacies and bizarre happenings that greatly reduces the long-term playability of the game, and hence the enjoyment. So to start with, here's some common sense about CO2 and global warming.
In theory, GW is caused by increased CO2 in the atmosphere, trapping heat and causing the planet to warm. This melts ice caps and changes weather patterns, causing flooding, droughts, storms, and various other disruptions. In addition, it is charged that CO2 causes ocean acidification that will endanger the food chain, and increased pollen counts.
Well. To a minor extent, these things are true, but some perspective is needed. Here is an interesting graph from UC San Diego:
http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/virtualmuseum/images/CO2History.html
It shows that 200 million years ago, CO2 levels in the atmosphere were
4-5 times as high as they are now. What was the world like back then? Dinosaurs, massive plant growth, the oceans teemed with life, that eventually became the coal and oil beds that we use today for much of our energy needs. In fact, the earth was at its most fertile, supporting more biomass than at any other time in its history. How do we know that? Well, it is common sense--all the carbon that became coal and oil was previously in the atmosphere, but had to become part of the biosphere before it could end up buried on the sea floor.
Increased CO2 is hardly the death knell for life on earth. In fact, experiment after experiment shows that plants grow faster with more CO2 in the atmosphere. Hence possible higher pollen counts (although colloquial reports are most likely attributable to last year's wet spring). But scientific testing has shown that the number one limitation on plant growth is the level of CO2 in the atmosphere.
If plants grow faster, the planet produces more food (as we already see). It sustains more animal life.
Now, as to ocean acidification--not going to happen. Sure, with a higher concentration of CO2 in the air, more of it will dissolve in seawater, until it reaches equilibrium. In theory, this makes it harder for shellfish to secrete their shells, which are made of CaCO3, calcium carbonate. But wait a second.
To start with, oceans have a pH of above 8. Basic chemistry tells us that is basic...literally. So more correctly, a small shift in ocean pH will make the oceans less basic, not acidic. PH would have to drop below 7 to classify the oceans as acidic. The second thing to consider is: what will be the effects of the amount of calcium carbonate in solution in ocean water if pH levels drop, even a little? When pH drops, water can hold a higher concentration. When there isn't enough, then shells can dissolve, or be hard to form. But, the calcium carbonate levels in the oceans are buffered, by the vast layers of these shells already laying on the ocean bottom, and
by fresh quantities that are added by the world's rivers all the time.
If this weren't true, the ocean could never have spared all the CaCO3 that went into the layers of limestone around the world, that in places are miles thick.
In fact, there is more carbon locked up in limestone than there is in all the coal and oil around the world, it is the world's largest carbon sink. Where did it come from? From the ocean water, of course...CO2 that was in the atmosphere and dissolved into the water.
The fact is, the earth has seen ups and downs in CO2 much greater than what we are currently releasing back into the biosphere. In fact, the carbon locked up into limestone over the last 300-400 million years is pretty much permanently inaccessible now. But life evolved, survived, and thrived through all of it.
Okay, what about the greenhouse effect? Well, it is true, our current level of CO2 does provide us with some insulation. If you climb to the top of Mt Everest, you'll find it's pretty cold up there, where the air is thin. Temps far below zero are the norm. This isn't all due to CO2, however. In fact, about 95-97% of the insulating effect is provided by the oxygen, nitrogen, and water vapor in our atmosphere. So, that leaves about 2 degrees C that is the "fault" of CO2.
Gas molecules have what is called an absorbtion spectra. They can't absorb all frequencies of light, most frequency photons just fly right by. If you imagine the sky as lots of tiny windows that are all open, then CO2 is like closing a few of them. In comparison, water, oxygen, and nitrogen close far more, and have already closed many of CO2's windows as well. You can look up graphs and see the peaks and valleys of what CO2 can absorb (and then re-radiate).
GW proponents say that closing the few extra that CO2 does will cause a chain reaction warming event. They want billions of dollars in grant money to study this. Well, a simple experiment can test that. Go out into the desert in the afternoon, and wait for the sun to set. As most people are aware, it gets cold in the desert at night. If CO2 is such a great blanket, why does that happen? Actually, CO2 leaves plenty of windows open, and the earth has no problem cooling down, unless you are where there is a lot of water (like the Amazon, or a humid summer night in the midwest). Clouds or humidity do close a lot of those windows, enough to make a difference.
It is true that with a higher concentration of CO2, it blocks a bit more. It makes the peaks in the absorption spectra
wider. So, a few of the windows are a bit bigger than others, but the effect is
comparatively minor. Science shows us it takes 10 times as much CO2 to double the current effect we get from CO2. So, if we managed to go from 400 ppm (parts per million) to 4000, then CO2 would give us 4C of warming, instead of 2C.
So, CO2 does give us some warming, but keeping things in perspective is everything.
Of course, we got from about 240 ppm to 380 ppm by burning
lots of oil and coal. We've been burning coal since Roman times, for Pete's sake. But, aren't environmentalists always warning us we're going to run out of oil soon, because we've reached peak oil? If so, then there isn't actually enough oil in the world to burn up to add enough CO2 to get anywhere near to 4000 ppm. If we burn every last drop of oil and every lump of coal we can find, we might manage 800 ppm, which will bump temps less than 1/2 degree C. But then we'll run out, and that will be that.
Great job Karadoc.
. And in both cases it can only be built on the other side of the river. For pure flatlands food or commerce we have other improvements.
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