Abstract
Abstract
The paper titled ‘Collision and radiative processes in emission of atmospheric carbon dioxide’ (Smirnov 2018 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.
51 214004) dismisses the role of increasing concentrations of anthropogenic CO2 on global warming of planet Earth. We show that these conclusions are the consequence of two flaws in the paper theoretical model which neglect the effects of the increased concentrations of CO2 on the absorption of Earth’s blackbody radiation in the 12–15 µm region. The influence of doubling the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere on the surface temperature is not
Δ
T
=
0.02
K, or even
Δ
T
=
0.4
K if only one of the two mistakes in the paper’s analysis is corrected. The correct value lies within
Δ
T
=
1.1
−
1.3
K as outlined by Wilson and Gea-Banacloche (2012 Am. J. Phys.
80 306–15) using simplified, yet more theoretically consistent models. In addition, if feedback effects are factored in, a higher value of
Δ
T
=
3
K is predicted, as assessed in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change working group report of 2021.
Subject
Surfaces, Coatings and Films,Acoustics and Ultrasonics,Condensed Matter Physics,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials