Caldeira analysis explains “the burning of organic carbon warms the Earth about 100,000 times more from climate effects than it does through the release of chemical energy in combustion.”

A hundred thousand is a big number.  It means that running a handheld electric hairdryer on US grid electricity delivers a planet-warming punch comparable to [the heat given off by] two Boeing 747s operating at full takeoff power for the same time period.

 When we burn carbon and release CO2 to the atmosphere, only 0.001% of the total warming comes directly from the release of chemical energy during burning. The remaining 99.999% of the warming is associated with the trapping of outgoing longwave radiation by that CO2 in the atmosphere (CO2 lasts 1,000 years in the atmosphere).

In the case of electricity generation, about 1/3 of its thermal energy went out a wire as electric power, the rest was released promptly as waste heat.  But each molecule of CO2, during its subsequent lifetime in the atmosphere, traps 100,000 times more heat than was released during its formation.

Solar PV panels,

Can we remove CO2 from the atmosphere?

A new study by scientists at the Carnegie Institution suggests that while removing excess carbon dioxide would cool the planet, complexities of the carbon cycle would limit the effectiveness of a one-time effort. To keep carbon dioxide at low levels would require a long-term commitment spanning decades or even centuries.

… The researchers found that removing all human-emitted carbon dioxide from the atmosphere caused temperatures to drop, but it offset less than half of CO2-induced warming. Why would removing all the extra carbon dioxide have such a small effect? The researchers point to two primary reasons. First, slightly more than half of the carbon dioxide emitted by fossil-fuels over the past two centuries has been absorbed in the oceans, rather than staying in the atmosphere. When carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere, it is partially replaced by gas coming out of ocean water. Second, the rapid drop in atmospheric carbon dioxide and the change in surface temperature alters the balance of the land carbon cycle, causing the emission of carbon dioxide from the soil to exceed its uptake by plants. As a result, carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere.

According to the simulations, for every 100 billion tons of carbon removed from the atmosphere, average global temperatures would drop 0.16° C (0.28° F).

An ounce of prevention is worth a gigaton of cure!

Thats crazy and I have always wondered about the comparison between the actual energy released and the effect of the carbon released. so if I boil 1L of water using electricity it will trap the equivalent energy of boiling 100,000L over the coming years? I guess it makes sense when the carbon dioxide is just sitting there trapping the sun's heat for years. Is there any mechanical way to remove carbon from the air?

nzguy-- So far there's no realistic way to remove CO2 on a planetary scale. Plants & algae remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by photosynthesis. And the ocean can absorb a lot of CO2, but the ocean may be nearly full. Also, the ocean is becoming more acidic because carbolic acid (CO2+water) killing coral reefs. Maybe pumping CO2 in Limestone areas underground. To sequester CO2 from the Earth's atmosphere would cost many billions of dollars, much cheaper to use renewable energy and energy efficiency, stich in time saves nine

just blow the place up and start again, i think

Comparisons like this, correct or not, is why a lot of people say global warming is fake. To the average person saying a hair dryer is as bad as two jumbo jets is insane. Typical person is going to say bullshit.