Carbon pipelines have no public benefit

I am glad to see the proposed CO2 pipeline approved by the Iowa Utilities Board being challenged in court. However, I question the slogan “No eminent domain for private gain.”

The argument against CO2 pipelines should be that they do not provide a public benefit.

Rising CO2 concentrations are increasing crop yields and greening the earth. There has been a slightly decreasing trend in strong (EF3+) tornadoes since 1950. The increase in total tornadoes is almost entirely due to an increase in F0 tornadoes since the adoption of Doppler radar and the National Weather Service weather spotter training program which encourages the public to call in severe weather sightings.

There is also a slightly decreasing trend in the total cyclonic energy of hurricanes. Citing a Category 2 hurricane making landfall in a prone area during peak hurricane season as evidence of global warming is merely a sign of the desperation of climate alarmists.

Water vapor is also a greenhouse gas and is far more abundant in the tropics than in the polar regions, so CO2 will have a greater effect in the polar regions than in the tropics. That is supported by climate records. This should actually decrease temperature gradients between the tropics and the poles which, in theory, would have a moderating effect on extreme weather. That is also supported by climate records. The increased costs of extreme weather are entirely due to increased development and the increased value of property at risk.

Fred Hubler

Cedar Rapids