[Huskrrrr]

I know a Stanford egghead who thinks water is a greenhouse gas.

[CedarDave]

I know a Stanford egghead who thinks water is a greenhouse gas.

It is, as water vapor. And it has much greater impact in the atmosphere than does carbon dioxide. But man has no say in it unlike CO2 which we do have some control over. However, the issue is confused by those that try to eliminate man-generated CO2 whose impact has a minimal impact on a gas which already has a minimal impact on climate. In fact, study of past temperature and CO2 levels, mainly from ice cores, show natural increases in CO2 levels lag climate heating by about 700 years.

[RedMonqey]

I know a Stanford egghead who thinks water is a greenhouse gas.

Depends on the context.

Vapor is just water turned to steam. And water vapor in the atmosphere IS the major greenhouse affecting the temperature on earth.

NOT carbon dioxide.

[zeestephen]

Re: I know a Stanford egghead who thinks water is a greenhouse gas.

Your friend is correct. Water vapor (gas) is the most important green house gas in the atmosphere.

CO2 - by itself - cannot cause dangerous warming.

However, it does cause some warming.

According to theory, CO2 causes the oceans to warm. When the oceans warm, they release more H2O gas, which causes more warming.

The basic theory of man made global warming is that CO2 and H2O gas must work in concert to create highly destructive warming.

[Still Thinking]

Water vapor IS a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, but has the disadvantage that it can’t be used to accumulate power and money for shysters.

[metmom]

Water IS a greenhouse gas.

It’s by far the strongest and most abundant greenhouse gas going.