Global Warming Skeptics: What happens to the heat that is created by burning fossil fuels; Oil, Gas and Coal?

By far, the largest source of heat for our planet is the Sun. Singularly it accounts for about 5000 times the amount of heat that all other sources contribute.

These 'other sources' include geothermal energy from sources such as volcanoes, geysers, hot springs etc and direct heating from the burning of fossil fuels, bonfires, central heating systems etc.

Together, the whole makes up what is termed Earth's Energy Budget or the Global Energy Balance; the contribution made by the burning of fossil fuels is in the order of 0.01% of the total heat our planet receives.

Turning to the specific point about where does it go...

The heat from the burning of fossil fuels is given off as radiation, not the type that is often associated with the nuclear power industry but the type that we feel as heat - thermal radiation.

Much of this just escapes into space but some of it becomes trapped within our atmosphere by the greenhouse gases (the wavelength of thermal radiation corresponds to the frequency of the spectral lines of the molecules of greenhouse gases). The absorbed heat is subsequently re-radiated back outwards by the greenhouse gases in all directions, some goes up into space, some is radiated back down towards Earth. It's this retention and re-radiation that is often referred to as the Greenhouse Effect.

In time, the radiation would be bounced around within the atmosphere until it escapes into space but the more greenhouse gases there are in the atmopshere the more they impede the escape into space of the thermal radiation.

The actual heat that is created is not the issue because global warming is about how carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses trap more heat energy from the SUN in the atmosphere. Actual heat is not a factor and is converted to other forms of energy. Some thermal pollution from power stations can have local effects on rivers and lakes but is is not an effect that heats the entire planet.

Particles in a gas spread uniformly throughout their container. This means that any carbon dioxide will spread equally.

There is no need to get an apocalypse bunker or hybrid car! Because of heat transfer and the second law of thermodynamics, heat energy will always flow from the hotter body (Earth and not because of AGW) to the colder body (near absolute zero in space). Also heat transfer can not be stopped, just slowed down. So the heat from Earth that bounces back is always absorbed by space. Earth can not absorb cold from space.

Scientific argument! But wait I'm being paid by the evil oil companies.

Bob, don't answer, I did it for you. "lalalalalalalalalalalalalala I can't hear you, hmm hmm hmm hmm, the Easter bunny, I mean global warming is real, lalalalala."

A heated body, like the sun-warmed earth or a coal-fired furnace, emits electromagnetic radiation. This radiation either warms another body or follows a direct path away from the planet. If it warms another body, that body will emit radiation in the same manner. Eventually, all of the component bodies that share their heat through this radiation will lose all of the energy that originally caused the heating since there is a finite probability that some of the emitted radiation will be "exhausted" to space. See the Stefan-Boltzmann reference below for the physics of the process.

The amount of energy coming from the sun is much greater than produced by all the heat produced by the burning of fossil fuels. Thus it is more important to ensure that the suns heat is not trapped by the green house gases produced by burning fossil fuels. All heat produced by fossil fuels eventually escapes back out into space.

You're funny!! Do you really believe that the heating of our homes and businesses is what the fuss is all about? It's not about that, it's about the emissions from the power plants. I think you need to get your facts straight before you ask a question.

Oh BTW, the emissions from those plants have been regulated for a long time, do to polluting the air we breath. That's what people should be crying about. Not that these emissions are causing Global Warming, which our planet has been doing since the last small Ice Age.

You know that it eventually radiates out of the atmosphere just like energy from the sun does.

this is a stupid's guide-

this is the only energy (heat ) that works for you! you fool!

when you burn oil/gas/caol how do you think your food gets cooked /car moves/electricity is produced.

aren't you ascience student"? if not then go to some science college.

The answers reflect the science. It is also more than a question of warming.

How long would anyone live if they put themselves in a closed building with a car running or a generator running where it was exhausting into the building? Depending on the size of the building you may live longer but you will eventually die.

None of these fossil fuels that we use burn efficiently enough to not poison the air we breathe. The emissions will travel with wind and will come out of the sky with rain. 100% of this is toxic to us and waste water treatment isn't catching it.

There was a study done on umbilical cords because they wanted to see if the fetus was getting toxins. The umbilical cord was thought to be a shield between the mom and the fetus. The study revealed a 100% toxicity ratio in the blood tested from randomly picked US hospitals.

A fetus will be in a 911 crisis from conception with toxins circulating through them.

The heat used from burning fossil fuels is used to heat buildings. Buildings are ideally an insulated envelope and we burn fuel to heat it. There is usually a thermostat 5 feet off the floor that is the switch controlling the heating system. The building will use and lose heat depending on the function of the insulated building.

Buildings are thrown into a bidding process and the building is signed off as compliant at the end of the day because inspectors couldn't see how buildings were using energy. I work for a company that completed the most advanced thermal imaging building application in the world. Go to http://www.thermoguy.com/globalwarming-heatloss.ht... and take your time at look at heat loss, uninsulated buildings producing more emissions.

We burn those fossil fuels for air conditioning to keep home cool in the summer. The problem is that buildings are designed and insulated to handle local temperature extremes. They are designed in a calculator and the temperature extremes mention to watch out for solar radiation.

I participated in extensive research and imaging to verify building function in the summer. Municipalities, governments, architects and meteorologists talk about UV, stay out of the sun or be burned. What burns you is the fact UV is a fast moving wavelength and skin is very absorbent so UV causes molecular excitement.

The very last coat of paint on the exterior of your building determines the function of your building regarding solar radiation impact. In North America we finish the exterior of the buildings with stucco, siding and it needs to have a reflective finish as opposed to absorbent. I am not talking mirror reflection, I am talking low-e paint, UV resistant coatings(the same kind used so airplanes don't expand while in the air).

Again, the entire building process is signed off as compliant because function couldn't be seen. I am going to use California as an example although they are not exclusive to this problem, every city and building has UV considerations

Buildings have a maximum design temperature so we can work with it to sat comfortable in our homes. UV is causing excitation of the building exteriors and in effect burning them. The heat generated by UV has been as close as to boiling temperature.

Weather is the interaction of 3 things and in order for there to be weather changes, only one of the factors has to change. The 3 factors are water vapor, air pressure(cold & warm air) and temperature.

We completed 20 years of seasonal cycles and research taking the building out of the calculator. I am going to show you what we are taking to governments. Buildings designed for 92 degrees F were generating heat as high as 198 degrees F. Go to http://www.thermoguy.com/globalwarming-heatgain.ht... to see temperature information accurate to

+-2%. California is being knocked off the power grid, producing toxic emissions treating the symptom of heat waves.

The EPA just settled a lawsuit where they sued a power provider because their emissions created acid rain that caused problems for several states in the Northeast.

The science isn't missing anymore for the cause of global warming. We scrape the earth to the ground to put up dead absorbent buildings, pavements and development. UV is causing the earth's surface to generate extreme heat and we are reacting to the symptoms with ozone depletion which means more UV. Meteorologists need to consider the extreme heat with every building adding to low air pressure which changes weather. The extreme heat is being generated by every city, every province, every country and that changes weather everywhere.

Climate change in my lifetime is very real, I grew up in northern Canada where schools would be closed once or twice a year because of snowfall. Now they have been riding motorcycles in December of other years. Global warming isn't all about warming, the interaction will change weather and as we can see, the changes are extreme.

My own research work contradicted my professional educations in architecture, engineering and electrical energy provision but any professional's job at the end of the day is objectivity as well as to protect public interests. We completed this work to bring the invisible to light, how can we design or deal with temperature if we can't see it in our calculator?

Nothing will happen! It is a Media Propaganda.

What happened when earth was like a burning ball??

Americans and their supporters in Europe are over reacting on this issue to blame some nations. They have hidden agenda behind this propaganda.

Earth is well protected with its 7 layers ( skies )and its automation system will make it corrected in due course of time.

If you cry louder... it does not mean you can make changes!