Conservation of Matter, Energy

Though the concept of the conservation of matter had been around for millennia, it was 18th Century French chemist Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier who nailed it down tight, while also suggesting that Earth was a closed system with respect to the “stuff” that we have all around us. And, of course, he was correct; with the exception of a few meteorites, the formation of the moon, and a tiny amount of radioactive decay, every atom of matter that was on Earth when it was formed 4.5 billion years ago is still here in one form or another.

On the other hand, the Earth is not a closed system when it comes to energy, as we’ve learned to our chagrin.  Our planet is taking in more energy from the sun than it’s re-radiating back into space, and thus we have the phenomenon of global warming that so concerns modern day climate scientists.

Not everyone is concerned, however; perhaps we should take some solace from the fact that many of our most senior leaders (e.g. the head of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy, pictured above) believe that climate change is a hoax.  His evidence?  We still have snow.

One wonders: How impressed would the great minds of science be, e.g., Lavoisier, with this line of reasoning?  I’m thinking face-palm.