On the same day that the EPA is set to falsely accuse the atmosphere’s CO2 molecules an “endangerment”, I hereby unofficially nominate the humble CO2 molecule for the Nobel Peace Prize. Hey, it makes more sense than calling this beneficial trace gas an “endangerment”. In his own Nobel acceptance/lecture, Al Gore has went so far as to call CO2 “global warming pollution”, and that emissions of it are akin to treating our atmosphere like an “open sewer”. He couldn’t be more wrong. When it comes to molecules that are necessary for life to exist on earth, with the possible exception of H20, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more beneficial molecule than good old carbon dioxide. CO2 is good for plants:
Literally thousands of laboratory and field experiments have conclusively demonstrated that enriching the air with carbon dioxide stimulates the growth and development of nearly all plants. They have also revealed that higher-than-normal CO2 concentrations dramatically enhance the efficiency with which plants utilize water, sometimes as much as doubling it in response to a doubling of the air’s CO2 content. These CO2-induced improvements typically lead to the development of more extensive and active root systems, enabling plants to more thoroughly explore larger volumes of soil in search of the things they need. Consequently, even in soils lacking sufficient water and nutrients for good growth at today’s CO2 concentrations, plants exposed to the elevated atmospheric CO2 levels expected in the future generally show remarkable increases in vegetative productivity, which should enable them to successfully colonize low-rainfall areas that are presently too dry to support more than isolated patches of desert vegetation. Elevated levels of atmospheric CO2 also enable plants to better withstand the growth-retarding effects of various environmental stresses, including soil salinity, air pollution, high and low air temperatures, and air-borne and soil-borne plant pathogens. In fact, atmospheric CO2 enrichment can actually mean the difference between life and death for vegetation growing in extremely stressful circumstances. In light of these facts, it is not surprising that Earth’s natural and managed ecosystems have already benefited immensely from the increase in atmospheric CO2 that has accompanied the progression of the Industrial Revolution; and they will further prosper from future CO2 increases. Join us as we explore these and other important benefits that rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations are bestowing on plants. Carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the burning of fossil fuels should not be feared; they are something to be celebrated!
Far from being a pollutant, rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations will never directly harm human health, but will indirectly benefit humans in a number of ways. Chief among these benefits is global food security. People must have sufficient food, simply to sustain themselves; and the rise in the atmosphere’s CO2 concentration that has occurred since the inception of the Industrial Revolution (an increase of approximately 100 ppm) has done wonders for humanity in this regard. And, it will continue to work wonders in helping us meet the rising food consumption needs of a larger, future population. In addition to increasing the quantity of food available for human consumption, the rising atmospheric CO2 concentration is also increasing the quality of the foods we eat. It significantly increases the quantity and potency of the many beneficial substances found in their tissues (such as the vitamin C concentration of citrus fruit), which ultimately make their way onto our dinner tables and into many of the medicines we take, improving our health and helping us better contend with the multitude of diseases and other maladies that regularly afflict us. In just one species of spider lily, for example, enriching the air with CO2 has led to the production of higher concentrations of several substances that have been demonstrated to be effective in fighting a number of human maladies, including leukemia, ovary sarcoma, melanoma, and brain, colon, lung and renal cancers, as well as Japanese encephalitis and yellow, dengue, Punta Tora and Rift Valley fevers.
CO2 an “endangerment”? Hardly. Al Gore and the rest of the alarmists need to stop smearing the good name of this beneficial trace gas, and learn to embrace CO2. If they truly wanted a greener planet, they’d learn to love CO2! CO2 for the Nobel Peace Prize!
Thanks to GORELIED.
Please do not forget the oceans.
The oceans are also in a state of dissolved CO2 famine. If we could increase the level of CO2 in the ocean, shells become thicker and stronger, coral reefs would also become more healthy. Unfortunately we are too tiny and insignificant to remedy this deficit.
When more CO2 is dissolved, the ocean pH (acidity) does change, but in a very beneficial way, but if you simulate the same pH by adding Hydrochloric Acid (as was done by paid climate scientists), you can imagine the results.
The results of those barbaric experiments are being fed to the public via the media, dresses up as fact.
Paul Stephen Hooks
BA, BSc(Hons)
paul stephens, you must have obtained your degree in a raffle? the reason we breathe c02 out, is because if we did not it would kill us . 1300 people in cameroon died from c02 exposure in 1989. i suggest you go and live on venus where c02 is 98% of the atmosphere. you will quickly found out how beneficial it is .
drought and flood do not enchance food production. we can already see the ''benefits ' of global warming in agricultural areas across the world. people are starving. water is beneficial too life but too much and you drown. plants do not need massive amounts of co2 to photosynthesis. the present level [ or preferably lower] will do just fine. check your history for the ramifications of past climate change. namely mass extinctions. this site is sponsored by exxon
We're still waiting for a dime from Exxon. Sadly nothing yet.
Oh, and the lushest, greenest, and most abundant plantlife developed on Earth during periods when CO2 was well above 1,000ppm. And there were periods when CO2 was even higher than that, and there was no dangerous global warming.
If CO2 drops to 250ppm, plants starve. 350ppm is hardly enough. Human-produced CO2 is such a miniscule amount in our atmosphere it's barely a grain of sand in a desert. Our contribution to "climate change" is equivalent to farting in a hurricane.