Among some of the various Green House Gases are water vapour (comprising between 36% – 70% of the GHG responsible for the Green House Effect) and of course, carbon dioxide, which is naturally given off by rotting leaf matter in rainforests, and is exhaled by animals and human beings. None of these are noxious in their own right.

What concerns me is that when scientists and the media describe all Green House Gases as pollutants, potentially more deleterious alternatives such nuclear power are more likely be accepted since they are often touted as the ‘clean alternative’. The environmental footprint from a nuclear reactor accident is enormous, with a potential for thousands of years of damage. Even geothermal power poses the risk of triggering dangerous seismic activity in areas previously considered stable, and potentially introducing toxic substances like mercury and arsenic into surface water.