Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site sdcrdcf.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!sdcrdcf!markb From: markb@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Mark Biggar) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Reagon's mistakes - list wanted Message-ID: <1342@sdcrdcf.UUCP> Date: Tue, 25-Sep-84 18:28:30 EDT Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.1342 Posted: Tue Sep 25 18:28:30 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 4-Oct-84 03:32:20 EDT References: <5218@nlm-mcs.ARPA> Reply-To: markb@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Mark Biggar) Distribution: net.flame Organization: System Development Corp. R+D, Santa Monica Lines: 22 Summary: In article <5218@nlm-mcs.ARPA> rene@nlm-mcs.ARPA (Rene Steiner) writes: >I know Reagon's said a lot of dumb things in his time, such as his >infamous comment about trees causing pollution. > - rene But trees (and other plants, sage brush being worst) do contribute to pollution levels. A recent study done in LA (sorry no reference) showed that only about 20% of the hydro-carbons in LA smog come from the burning and use of fossil fuels. 80% of the hydro-carbons are produced by trees and other plants. This was determined by looking at the carbon-14 levels in the sampled hydro-carbons. Because oil and coal were produced so long ago the level of carbon-14 in them is too small to be messured. Hydro-carbons produced by plants via the normal process of combining CO2 and water have the same level of carbon-14 as the CO2 in the atmosphere. These levels of carbon-14 are maintained fairly constant by reactions in the upper atmosphere. Trees may not cause all pollution (Reagon didn't say that) but they do contribute. Mark Biggar {allegra,burdvax,cbosgd,hplabs,ihnp4,akgua,sdcsvax}!sdcrdcf!markb