Can't the nasty fumes be filtered?

In principle yes - you could use a combination of flue gas desulfurization and carbon capture and storage (CCS). But it's expensive (making other sources far more attractive economically) and with CCS you're left with the problem of what do do with all the waste CO₂ - which doesn't naturally degrade into anything less problematic and will cause all the havoc you're trying to avoid if it ever escapes back into the atmosphere (in some ways reminiscent of the problems of nuclear waste).

 

I don't think that there is any doubt that the climate has been getting warmer

Agreed - things are certainly changing - just ask any older gardener. When I was a lad growing up in west Wales we reckoned daffodils were a daft symbol for St David's day - since they were never out by 1st March (if you wanted one you had to buy an imported one from a shop). Nowadays I can often have some ready for about March 1st in the cooler part of Yorkshire and I'm told that in West Wales they've often finished by then. Likewise we're having to deal with pests that were unknown - one of my elderly neighbours asked if I knew anything about these "slugs with shells" that were plaguing his garden - having gown up down south I was of course familiar with snails, but there were apparently unknown up here. Seems that slugs can survive the traditional cold Yorkshire winters by burrowing deep into the soil for protection - but their shells prevent snails doing that. Now that the winters are a little less harsh the snails can survive. And when was the last time we actually had April Showers in April? What's worrying is that the general consensus amongst those that study such things is that this is just the beginning.


  - Andy.

Can't the nasty fumes be filtered?

In principle yes - you could use a combination of flue gas desulfurization and carbon capture and storage (CCS). But it's expensive (making other sources far more attractive economically) and with CCS you're left with the problem of what do do with all the waste CO₂ - which doesn't naturally degrade into anything less problematic and will cause all the havoc you're trying to avoid if it ever escapes back into the atmosphere (in some ways reminiscent of the problems of nuclear waste).

 

I don't think that there is any doubt that the climate has been getting warmer

Agreed - things are certainly changing - just ask any older gardener. When I was a lad growing up in west Wales we reckoned daffodils were a daft symbol for St David's day - since they were never out by 1st March (if you wanted one you had to buy an imported one from a shop). Nowadays I can often have some ready for about March 1st in the cooler part of Yorkshire and I'm told that in West Wales they've often finished by then. Likewise we're having to deal with pests that were unknown - one of my elderly neighbours asked if I knew anything about these "slugs with shells" that were plaguing his garden - having gown up down south I was of course familiar with snails, but there were apparently unknown up here. Seems that slugs can survive the traditional cold Yorkshire winters by burrowing deep into the soil for protection - but their shells prevent snails doing that. Now that the winters are a little less harsh the snails can survive. And when was the last time we actually had April Showers in April? What's worrying is that the general consensus amongst those that study such things is that this is just the beginning.


  - Andy.