No, the heat exchange with the deeper parts of the earth is not the key element in setting the surface temperature. The general problem with burning fossil fuels is that they release CO
2, which helps trap infrared radiation, reducing its ability to cool the earth by escaping into space.
It would be great if there were a way to get enough photosynthesis going to not only supply all our fuel needs but also convert extra CO
2 into oil to re-inject back into the ground, just to lower the CO
2 level. However, that is far beyond any reasonable hope for biofuels. It's more realistic to try to replace fossil fuel use with wind, solar, nuclear, etc., and to sequester (bury) much of the CO
2 generated by the remaining fossil fuel plants.
Mike W.
(published on 12/09/2009)
