Some climate alarmists have been claiming that global warming has been decreasing agricultural productivity. (For instance, see here.) But real data proves otherwise.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is plant food. Increasing CO2 and warming have enhanced plant growth and makes plants more water-efficient.
And, according to NASA, “greening of the Earth mitigates surface warming” (Link). NASA writes: “A new study reports that increased vegetation growth during the recent decades, known as the ‘Greening Earth’, has a strong cooling effect on the land due to increased efficiency of heat and water vapor transfer to the atmosphere.” This is based upon satellite observations.
The Heartland Institute has created a new website (Climate at a Glance) which “puts frequently argued climate issues into short, concise, summaries that provide the most important, accurate, powerful information.) Their section on crop production begins:
“Longer growing seasons, higher temperatures, and more atmospheric carbon dioxide are creating ideal crop conditions. As global climate modestly warms, the U.S. and global crop yields are setting new records almost every year.
The same is true for nearly all other nations, too. Thanks in large part to longer growing seasons, fewer frost events, more precipitation, and the fertilization effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide, farmers are producing more food on less land, allowing them to feed a growing global population.” (Read more)
The Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change provides summaries and reviews of scientific papers.
Here are the conclusions of their summary studies of plant productivity:
In spite of claims that rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations and unprecedented global warming since the inception of the Industrial Revolution are destroying (or will destroy) the productivity of the biosphere, the terrestrial vegetative biomass of the globe as a whole continues to rise; and it appears to be doing so at a remarkable rate.
As for why is this so, it may well be that the twin evils of the radical environmental movement (rising temperatures and atmospheric CO2 concentrations) are not the evils they are made out to be, but actually blessings in disguise … blessings that are fueling the biosphere!
In spite of climate-alarmist claims that the temperatures of the latter part of the 20th century and on through the present were unprecedented over the past one to two millennia (which is highly debatable) and that atmospheric CO2 concentrations were the highest they had been for several hundred millennia (which is true), as well as the fact that mankind yearly harvests and/or destroys much of the planet’s natural vegetation, the total yearly production of terrestrial vegetative biomass for the globe as a whole continues to rise, and at a remarkable rate.
Throughout the course of the current century, even the severe warming predicted by current climate models will not likely be detrimental to plant growth and productivity.
Rather, it will likely be a major benefit, enhancing plant growth and soil organic carbon storage, which (in addition to their own virtues) will provide significant negative feedback to global warming as the Greening of the Earth continues!
A review of papers on grasslands finds “as the air’s CO2 concentration continues to increase, grassland species should respond positively by exhibiting increased rates of photosynthesis.
“In addition, such increases in photosynthesis will likely occur even under unfavorable growing conditions characterized by less-than-adequate soil moisture, inadequate soil nutrition, elevated air temperature, and physical stress imposed by herbivory.
“Thus, Earth’s grassland species will likely grow ever more robustly in the future, thanks to the ever-increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration produced by the burning of ever-larger quantities of fossil fuels.”
The studies above are on plant productivity in general. More specific studies on food crops show enhanced growth with warming temperatures and increases in carbon dioxide.
Read rest at Wry Heat
Many professional green house owners raise the level of carbon dioxide to 1600 to get better growth. There are even kits for home aquariums to introduce carbon dioxide to help the aquarium plants. In light of this information it is obvious that elevated CO2 will help both natural plants and agriculture.
We do need to keep reality in mind. When alarmists try to claim that warming temperatures permit vectors to increase their range, I point out that the slight warming we have experienced so far isn’t enough to have much of an impact. This is also probably true of plant growth. One exception is frost. My home town is at an elevation of 4100 feet and a late frost in the spring early one in fall can do a lot of damage. A slightly warmer climate should help this situation.
From the article, “thanks to the ever-increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration produced by the burning of ever-larger quantities of fossil fuels.” It is not likely that burning fossil fuels is what is increasing the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Depending on the source, man’s emission only amount from 2% to 4% of what is added to the atmosphere each year. The rest is natural. The raising CO2 level is likely coming from the ocean as the earth warms naturally. Water can hold less dissolved gasses as it warms and the oceans are vast.
I agree, but others still think humans are bad … well maybe …
https://newtube.app/user/RAOB/Z2odgVf
This is old, proven and reproducible science.
I despair of my fellow Australian horticulturists and farmers who panic about carbon dioxide as if it were poison rather than a promotant of growth.
Right now I am listening to the calls of different frog species.on this farm. Higher atmospheric carbon dioxide levels should help amphibian numbers bounce back. And they are. The Frogageddon is not happening, no more than the Insectageddon. Nor should it happen if the economy is sufficiently strong to pay for targeted conservation works.
The environmentalists who would willfully kill the economy are the real threat to conservation.
They have taken over to the degree that is almost pointless for a true conservationist to pursue a degree in ecology or a related field. The same shall happen to agriculture and horticulture too, if given their way.
Seems strange this article was trumpeted via Climate Depot. The fact is, there’s no demonstrable truth that there has been any appreciable warming during our lives or of any relevant proximal history. So where’s the “greening” coming from except for some bad science and mythical “warming of the planet.”