Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
With human help, plants, animals and microbes are now contributing to climate change, new study says
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/03/10/with-human-help-plants-animals-and-microbes-are-now-contributing-to-climate-change-a-new-study-says.htmlHumans are making global warming worse, all right — but in more ways than you think.
That’s the result of a study published Thursday by the journal Nature, which finds that the Earth’s land “biosphere,” defined as all the plants, animals and micro-organisms living on the surface of the Earth (excluding the oceans), is now a “net source” of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Thus, the biosphere is now adding to global warming in much the same way that our fossil fuels are.
The research, led by Hanqin Tian of Auburn University with 22 co-authors, points the finger at phenomena such as animal agriculture, rice cultivation and waste disposal as key features of climate change that don’t get much attention, but that overall are causing the Earth to heat up even more than it would otherwise.
It’s yet another finding that underscores the importance of a sector that has, somewhat surprisingly, largely escaped attention in the climate debate: global agriculture. And the world will need to produce even more food to keep up with growing populations, says Tian.
That’s the result of a study published Thursday by the journal Nature, which finds that the Earth’s land “biosphere,” defined as all the plants, animals and micro-organisms living on the surface of the Earth (excluding the oceans), is now a “net source” of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Thus, the biosphere is now adding to global warming in much the same way that our fossil fuels are.
The research, led by Hanqin Tian of Auburn University with 22 co-authors, points the finger at phenomena such as animal agriculture, rice cultivation and waste disposal as key features of climate change that don’t get much attention, but that overall are causing the Earth to heat up even more than it would otherwise.
It’s yet another finding that underscores the importance of a sector that has, somewhat surprisingly, largely escaped attention in the climate debate: global agriculture. And the world will need to produce even more food to keep up with growing populations, says Tian.
The part I put in bold sent shivers down my spine when I first read it. The implications of the global biosphere now a net source of GHG's is mind-boggling.
