Recently, I received a press release from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), highlighting the annual growth rate of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The lead of the press release reads: “Levels of the three most important human-caused greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide - continued their steady climb during 2023, according to NOAA scientists.” This seemed alarming. We have all heard the rhetoric about how fossil fuels are causing the world’s problems with CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions. This press release comes from the most renowned federal climate agency. So, I decided to keep reading.
Further down in the press release, after several graphics showing a dramatic rise in levels of CO2 and methane, the following statement appears.
A 2022 study by NOAA and NASA scientists and additional NOAA research in 2023 suggests that more than 85% of the increase from 2006 to 2021 was due to increased microbial emissions generated by livestock, agriculture, human and agricultural waste, wetlands and other aquatic sources. The rest of the increase was attributed to increased fossil fuel emissions.
I ask you to read that paragraph several times. The most important sentence is the last one, “The rest of the increase was attributed to increased fossil fuel emissions.” The rest in this study equates to 15%. We repeatedly hear that fossil fuels are the main troublemaker for global warming, but this study seems to say something else. Will the mainstream media pick the 85% number or the 15% number to focus on? By the time this article goes to press, we will all know the answer, but my prediction is that headlines discussing this study will read: Most global warming is caused by fossil fuels.
There used to be balance in journalism. Now, there is an agenda. And that agenda is focused on putting an end to fossil fuel development. As mineral and royalty owners we understand that every modern convenience comes from the extraction and synthesizing of fossil fuels. Other energy sources are important in creating additional supplemental sources of energy, but currently, renewables are not stable enough to sustain America and provide the comfortable lifestyles that we are used to enjoying.
The only way to fight against someone else’s agenda is to make your agenda known. If you believe that fossil fuels are an important part of American independence and maintaining a civilized society, you must let your agenda be known.
It is time to change the message.
A balanced news story shows both sides of an issue and allows the consumer of news to digest the information for themselves and make an educated opinion on what they are being told. As members of NARO-TX, one of the ways that we can do that is by paying attention to news items that only show one side of the story and delving deeper into the subject matter to ascertain the truth for ourselves. If we hear someone speaking of a study, we need to get that study and read it to find out what it really says.
We have knowledge about the industry that perhaps we are afraid to share for the fear of offending someone. Knowledge is truth. Fear is ignorance. We must educate ourselves and those around us to the truths to fossil fuel consumption.
If you have information that you want to share with NARO-TX, please let me know. I will gladly pass it along to the membership so that we can all learn from each other. Thank you for the information you already share here in the mineral rights forum.
As members of NARO-TX, we have been highly successful in sharing information with each other at our local town hall meetings this year and in our online webinars. Meetings are scheduled in Houston on May 18 and Big Lake on May 29th. I hope you will join us online or in person for one of our meetings. You don’t have to be a member to come but I hope after you attend that you will want to join us.
The NARO-Texas Convention is being held July 10th-July 13th at the Omni Barton Creek in Austin. We will discuss these issues and many more. We are inviting many operators in the hopes that they will attend and you can have face-to-face discussions with them.
If you are not a member of NARO-TX, please join us. Members: please make sure your National Association of Royalty Owners online account has your current contact information so you can receive all the updates we send.
Thank you for being a member of The Mineral Rights Forum. Please contact me if you want to become a member and volunteer with NARO-TX.
Sincerely, Lana McGee Straub, MLS RPL CMM 2024 NARO-TX President