I ain’t a scientific expert, but.

I ain’t a scientific expert, but.

I was doing some research into ocean acidification, plus something I remember from a geology class years ago about limestone in the mountains as evidence of ancient seas there.

In that class, I wondered why we didn’t just make more limestone–made of calcium carbonate, or CaCO₃, or calcium plus carbon plus 3 oxygens–out of the oceans, which would let the ocean pull more carbon dioxide (or carbon plus 2 oxygens) out of the atmosphere, which could then be turned into more limestone, thereby helping stop greenhouse global warming.

(I’ve got to get this out of the way first, my parents still don’t believe in global warming, and it wasn’t until this geology class and some other science classes where the teachers just casually mentioned global warming as a thing that I believed it was a thing.)

After that geology class, I hesitantly researched limestone creation, but concluded that the ocean already was making calcium carbonate/limestone by pulling carbon dioxide from the air, and that was part of the problem–the ocean creating limestone was turning the ocean more acidic, thereby affecting ocean life, like coral and clams and hermit crabs.

But I got it backwards. I assumed the limestone creation was leaving the ocean more acidic. I assumed the ocean creating limestone was how the ocean was “absorbing” so much carbon dioxide from the air, by turning it into limestone. So then I was like “oh, artificially creating tons of limestone with ocean water to clean the environment is actually a terrible idea, because that will make the oceans super acidic.”

But then I researched it again more recently.

Fact 1: ocean acidification comes from carbon dioxide (CO₂) mixing with water (H₂O), creating carbonic acid (H₂CO₃).

Fact 2: acidic water hurts coral, clam shells, etc. because coral, clam shells, etc. are made of limestone (CACO₃), which is basic/alkaline, the opposite of acidic–the acid attacks the alkaline substance, trying to create equilibrium, but with very acidic oceans, the coral and things can’t grow their calcium carbonate shells fast enough before being torn down.

Fact 3: Creating limestone out of carbonic acid leaves water more basic/alkaline, not acidic.

Fact 4: Therefore, if you take the carbon in the water and create limestone instead of carbonic acid, you are doubly helping the world, by a) removing carbon from the environment, and b) reducing the acidity in the oceans.

There’s even a few studies about trying to build technology to quickly remove carbon from water by creating calcium carbonate from it. (I personally don’t know how you do that. Somehow take carbonic acid, separate the H₂O from the CO₂ and stick the CO₂ to some calcium and extra oxygen?)

Humanity. I am so utterly mad at you.

Why isn’t this front page news?

Why is the front page news about the ocean acidifying and habitats dying? Why is the news about shelled animals being put at risk because of humans’ carbon production? Why is the news all “oh, humans are using so much gasoline, we’re killing the little clams! Stop using gasoline!”

If you want to save the world, do something about it. Quit complaining about how much damage we’re doing, and do something! Help the scientist-people do something!

And I don’t think blaming gasoline and oil and coal emissions and plastic bags for all our problems counts as doing something.

Sure, I believe in throwing away my trash. In recycling and reusing. I believe in conserving things, and the smoggy skies worry me and the landfills worry me.

But humanity, I’m so mad at you, because we’re doing this so wrong.

You think electric cars are green? You think you’re saving the planet from gasoline emissions by driving an electric car?

Okay, where does your electricity come from? The charging station? Okay, where does the charging station get it? The city grid, underground wires? Okay, where do they get it? Oh, the power plant???

And solar power or wind power or an ocean turbine or turbines in a dam provided some of that electricity. Maybe even a nuclear power plant provides some.

But I’m telling you, most of that energy doesn’t come from a renewable source. It comes from natural gas power plants–aka, fossil fuels, aka makes carbon dioxide when it’s burned. Or, it comes from coal burning plants–aka, fossil fuels, aka makes carbon dioxide when it’s burned. Or, it comes from petroleum products, which also burn and make carbon dioxide–just the same as gasoline from a gas station going inside your car.

By the way, whoever came up with the branding for “natural gas” is a genius, because when you research “electricity production in __ area,” you find articles proclaiming __ area has “renewable energy” usage at like 15% and “coal” at like 13%, so they all pat themselves on the back like “yeah, we use more renewable energy than fossil fuels, go us!” Except “natural gas” is at like 22% and, excuse me, but that’s a fossil fuel.

Back to electric cars. Tell me this: which is more efficient, something burned in a car, or something burned in a power plant miles and miles away, carried through miles of wires to a city grid and a charging station, to power your car?

Ever heard of friction? No machine is 100% effective, some energy is lost in every translation–so, congratulations! You just wasted a whole bunch of energy in those miles of wires between your car and where it gets its power from.

That’s not more efficient. There is zero way possible that can be more efficient.

Sure, yes, again, some of the electricity does come from solar power and wind/water turbines, so the electric car is cleaner than a car burning 100% gasoline.

And maybe you can claim that power plants burn energy more efficiently than gas-cars, so an electric car powered from one is technically more efficient.

But it’s still less efficient than it could be. It’s still wasting energy. If you want to be really clean, and also conserve energy, why don’t you just solar power the car directly? Why don’t you make the roads solar powered?

AAAH humanity I am so mad at you.

Let’s let the scientists figure out how to get limestone from ocean water. Let’s quit pretending electric cars are making forward progress, and figure out something better. AAAAH I’m so mad at you.

To conclude: please and thank you share your own thoughts/corrections/research:)