Via Linnea Lueken
A recent BBC article reports on a new study by researchers at Ohio State University (OSU) who used historical documents to determine that trees in the area have experienced a the growing season lasts almost a month compared to 19.lame pants century. This is not surprising. Plenty of research and hard data shows that plant life in general is benefiting from additional atmospheric CO2 and moderate warming.
Posts, “Climate change: trees grow for one more month as the planet warms – study,” describes an OSU study, based in part on the notes of an Ohio farmer from 1883 to 1912. This farmer kept detailed records of meteorological data and tree growth. on his property from season to season.
The study’s lead author then recorded data from the farmer’s hometown between 2010 and 2014 and compared the development of modern hardwoods with the farmer’s notes, coming to a conclusion. argue that leaves stay on trees 15% longer than in 19lame pants century. This equates to about a month of growth.
The BBC writes that “the significance of longer growing times is unknown,” but also because plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis, “the researchers say the longer growing time more could mean they’ve done so much more.”
The results of the study should come as no surprise to those who have paid attention to data on plant growth trends.
According to satellite data from NASA’s Vegetation Index, Earth’s vegetation cover has increased over the past twenty years. Depending on which statistical analysis method is used, as explained in the post on Climate Realism, This, the greening rate in the last twenty years has been between 5 and 10 percent globally. (See picture below)
In addition, a 2020 study by Harvard et al describe how the current greening trajectory will offset 17 years of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions by 2100 and about 70 percent of the post-1980s greening is due to carbon fertilization caused by dioxide. another study found that the Sahara had shrunk by about 8% in a similar time frame.
Greening the Earth is good for both humans and animals. This is especially true in major growing regions, where additional CO2 Fertilization has contributed to increased yields and yields of important crops, as Climate Realism has shown. This, ThisAnd Thisamong many other posts.
Seemingly impossible to end a climate change story on a positive note, the BBC story’s authors and researchers warn that “higher, fluctuating temperatures could also put stress on climate change”. trees in hitherto unknown ways.”
The ways are “so far unknown,” because despite more than a hundred years of warming, the evidence of dangerous stress has yet to materialize, but the benefits are certainly there.
The BBC struggled to create an alarm message with this story, because of the net impact of the additional CO2 in the atmosphere.2 and moderate warming over a long period largely benefits plant life, including trees, without harm. Available data demonstrate that extended growing seasons have been and will continue to be good for forest growth and important crop production worldwide. The OSU team and BBC reporters should not try to deny the findings of this study, which only reinforces what previous research has shown about the benefits of climate change for development. plant development.
https://www.heartland.org/about-us/who-we-are/linnea-lueken
Linnea Lueken is a Research Fellow with the Arthur B. Robinson Center for Climate and Environmental Policy. As a Heartland Institute intern in 2018, she co-authored the Heartland Institute Policy Brief “Unmasking Four Persistent Myths About Hydraulic Fracture”.
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