Heating Earth

The gases that produce a blanket over the Earth are the main talking point in the global climate crisis. Eunice Foote was the first to discover this, and now this effect is a well-known result of exploiting the ancient solar energy stored in fossil fuels.

Scientists can calculate the heating from the difference in the radiation balance through the atmosphere caused by the greenhouse gases.

But the other heating result of this exploitation does not seem to get much mention.

Maybe it is relatively small. Geothermal energy is seen as free of polluting gases, but as a heat engine it outputs heat as it must to gain energy from the geothermal heat and thus produce waste heat. Industrial processes use heat in chemical and drying processes, and must release heat. The manufacture of glass objects for food and drink storage produce a lot of heat that turns up in the sea and atmosphere.

Vehicles, besides exhausting greenhouse gases, must produce waste heat in the exhaust and, by the necessity of using a radiator, output heat.

This heat production should be calculated to see how much it adds to the greenhouse gas effect.

Paul Bieleski

Nelson, November 7