Dear Editor:
I had the opportunity to meet Governor Gordon, when I was manning the Converse County Republican booth on the Midway at the WY State Fair last month. I am disappointed in the stance Governor Gordon and other Western Governors are taking to promote carbon emissions capture or 'carbon sequestration,' as they are now calling it.
We all learned the process of photosynthesis in seventh grade biology, but it seems that many have forgotten their early education. I looked it up again to make sure. Carbon dioxide is a natural and necessary component of our atmosphere. Our plants and trees cannot exist without it. All plants exhale Oxygen during daylight hours, then when the sun goes down, they exhale Carbon Dioxide.
An article in Britannica states, " . . . photosynthesis, the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy. During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds. It would be impossible to overestimate the importance of photosynthesis in the maintenance of life on Earth. If photosynthesis ceased, there would soon be little food or other organic matter on Earth. Most organisms would disappear, and in time Earth’s atmosphere would become nearly devoid of gaseous oxygen" (9/5/23 https://www.britannica.com/science/photosynthesis).
Another article in Britannica titled Carbon Budget states, "Carbon appears in Earth’s atmosphere primarily as carbon dioxide (CO2) produced naturally by the respiration of living organisms, the decay of these organisms, the weathering of carbon-containing rock strata, and volcanic emissions. Plants utilize CO2, water, and solar insolation to convert CO2 to diatomic oxygen (O2). This process, known as photosynthesis, can result in local reductions of CO2 of tens of parts per million within vegetation canopies. In contrast, nighttime respiration occurring when photosynthesis is not active can increase CO2 concentrations. These concentrations may even double within dense tropical forest canopies for short periods before sunrise" (9/24/2023, https://www.britannica.com/science/atmosphere/Carbon-budget).
<www.britannica.com
I have a BA in History. In History, I learned that before the medical establishment was able to bottle oxygen, the nurses would move potted plants into hospital rooms to provide more oxygen to their patients. At night, the nurses would speedily move the plants out of the sick wards again, because otherwise the plants would RAISE the carbon dioxide levels in the room, which was detrimental to the patients' health. Of course, in modern times references to plants in hospitals only claim the psychological benefit; however, the image I found online below shows the process (9/24/2023 https://resources.cdn.yaclass.in/9bd3ea46-1989-4289-bfb5-3be446365f39/shutterstock1706667847.jpg)
An article by Terry L. Jones and Pam Radtke written for Floodlight and printed in The Lens on September 22, 2023, titled "A known risk: How carbon stored underground could find its way back into the atmosphere," states, "Generous federal tax credits are driving the onrush of carbon capture and storage projects being proposed in the U.S. But like a game of whack-a-mole, there’s a chance the planet-warming emissions could seep back up into the atmosphere after they are injected underground." This could happen through fissures in the rock or through abandoned wells.
One question is: how can we keep up with capturing carbon from the air when all green living things are producing similar amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide on a daily basis. Are the promoters of this supposed science to save the Earth from Global Warming really encouraging the extermination of all life on Earth? The basic and life-giving process of photosynthesis requires carbon dioxide to be available in our atmosphere, so plants can produce oxygen. At the least, more study by unbiased experts needs to be completed. So, for now efforts to stop carbon sequestration needs to be halted. Man has immense hubris to think that he has the capacity to change the weather on a global and consistent basis.
Sincerely,
Candy Luhrsen
Now of Douglas, WY
Formerly of Mimbres, NM