[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Malsua

Thank you. It irritates me to no end when we hear about "carbon emissions". Carbon is an element. Carbon Dioxide is a molecular compound.

I think the idea behind conflating the two was to evoke images of graphite which is black. To make people think of carbon emissions as dirty, not as plant food.

Do you think the same message would be conveyed if they said "Diamond emissions?" After all, diamonds are 99.5% carbon and at STP have more carbon in them than CO2.

When you are driving on the street, you're making diamonds. Considering most electricity is not made from renewables, this applies to your Telsa, electric cart or gas vehicle.

There is no "conflating the two," you just don't seem to (be willing to) understand the processes involved.

Rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are the concern. The CO2 is created during the burning of fossil fuels when the C in the fuel combines with O2 to create the CO2. Without burning those fuels, the C in those fuels would still be bound to some Hs and other elements in the form of oil, coal, natural gas deposits, and others. Mining, refining, and burning those fuels moves the C out of the ground, combines it with O, and emits it into the atmosphere as CO2. There is no conflating, just an understanding of the processes.