Water vapor is a transparent gas that, molecule for molecule, is at least as effective at absorbing/emitting earth-temperature infrared radiation (IR) as carbon dioxide. From January 1988 through December 2021, NASA/RSS accurately measured and reported monthly the global average water vapor as Total Precipitable Water (TPW). In January 2022, they stopped reporting new global average TPW measurements, a year later deleted the website completely and shortly after that replaced it. At ground level during the period of reporting, average global water vapor molecules increased about 7 times faster than CO2 molecules.
Further analysis shows that the determination by molecule count, that increased CO2 influence on the climate has been only one-seventh as much as the increased water vapor influence, is still high. Radiation from water vapor as low as about 2 kilometers can make it all the way to space and carries away any residual contribution to warming from increased CO2 at low altitude. Radiation to space from CO2 and other IR-active gases is from the tropopause (about 6 to 18 km) and above and actually counters warming.
The end result is that CO2 does not cause significant climate change and the Green New Deal will have no significant effect on climate.
Dan Pangburn Arizona
