Levels of CO2 in the atmosphere seem to have been rising, though there is disagreement about what effects this might have. Some think the main cause is human industrial activity, some think that human agriculture has been a bigger factor, and some think it might be a natural change down to solar or cosmic radiation. Doom-mongers have painted vivid disaster stories of sea levels rising by several metres, of Artic ice all gone by 2050, and of the world baked to an arid desert. Most of these predictions seem to be exaggerated by people whose agenda is to make us all eschew the modern world with its fast-paced complexity and return to the measured rhythm of a simpler life. According to a study published in the journal US Geophysical Research Letters, something interesting does seem to be happening.
A new study, based on satellite observations, CSIRO, in collaboration with the Australian National University (ANU) reported that the rising levels of carbon dioxide have caused deserts to start greening and increased foliage cover by 11 percent from 1982-2010 across parts of the arid areas studied in Australia, North America, the Middle East and Africa.
The researchers took out other factors including rainfall, air temperatures, light intensity and land-use changes in order to study just the CO2 effects. We know that increased CO2 enables plants to photosynthesize more with less water, but this study is the first practical demonstration of large-scale effects on a global scale. Eleven percent is quite a large amount over a comparatively short period. It will be even more interesting if it turns out that the new foliage acts to slow the rise in CO2 levels by processing some of it into vegetation.
Filed under: Updates |
Madsen Pirie 
My geography teacher (back in time to far to contemplate) told his class of 13 years old boys that ‘ sea levels are rising at a rate of 6 inches every 100 years ‘. He continued, ‘ the evidence is clear to see in Roman and Ancient Greek harbours and submerged fossilized forests which have underwater ruins and tree roots that are 20 feet below today’s sea levels ‘.
Global warming has been a process since the end of the last ice age and Co2 is largely absorbed by plankton in the oceans and virtually all plant life on earth. This process seems to be self regulating and absorption would increase if Co2 rose much above the median causing a ‘ blooming ‘ of plankton etc. On the 6 inches per century basis the Oceans have risen about 4.6 inches during my lifetime and will continue to do so it would seem.
Absolutely, Bernard. The heating up and cooling down of this planet is something that has happened since it came into being, I don’t think any government in this world, or all of them together, can stop this natural cycle, no matter how hard they try.
Sadly there are too many naive and gullible people who believe the clap trap spouted by said governments and the WHO, etc, etc.
When will people realise that having a degree in whatever does not mean that you also possess common sense. Some do, others most definitely do not!
The whole purpose, in my mind, for the planet going through these cycles is it’s own evolution and necessary for it to continue. Stopping (if it were possible) this cycle would be more likely to be the end of this world.