The side that defines the vocabulary of a debate wins the debate.  So we could ask: as we fight the global warming scam, why are we using the language of the scammers?  It’s harder to combat “carbon” taxes, “carbon” credits, and callow “carbon” appeals if we accept that at issue is “carbon.”

Calling CO2 “carbon” is like calling H2O “hydrogen.”  Carbon is about as useful to a plant aspiring to photosynthesize as a tank of hydrogen is to a dehydrated man in a desert.  Carbon dioxide and carbon are not the same thing any more than a fox and foxglove are the same thing.

If chemical formulas are meaningless and one element or atom between friends can be ignored, try inhaling copious amounts of CO.  It’s also “carbon,” being in fact more “carboney” ratio-wise than CO2.  But carbon monoxide is poisonous to fauna and flora, while carbon dioxide is plant food, which is why botanists pump it into greenhouses.

Likewise, would you like some chlorine with your food, sir?  Sodium is poisonous; chloride is poisonous.  Combine the two – NaCl – and you have table salt.  Chemistry is our friend.

It would be nice to think that the carbon crew is just being friendly and familiar.  But not only would calling CO2 Mr. Dioxide be just as inaccurate, but there’s clearly an agenda here.  Carbon, the primary element in coal, conjures up images of spewing sky-blackening soot into the air.  It’s a dark brand of marketing.

In fact, I challenge those crafting “carbon tax” bills to call CO2 “carbon” in their legislation’s text.  They won’t, because I suspect it wouldn’t stand up in court, as factories don’t actually emit carbon.  The alarmists will either specify carbon dioxide or define, tendentiously, what “carbon” means for the “purposes of the bill.”

Of course, carbon isn’t really a villain, either.  It’s the fourth most abundant element in the universe, and man is known as a “carbon-based life form.”  Given the latter, if extra atoms and elements and how they react with each other can be ignored when formulating labels and definitions, we could say that Al Gore’s birth was a carbon emission.

Honest people should reclaim the language and reboot the debate by rejecting “carbon” talk.  As for those knowingly using the term for propaganda purposes, they should have a huge carbon footprint placed firmly on their carbon-based posteriors.

Contact Selwyn Duke, follow him on Twitter or log on to SelwynDuke.com.