“If it’s harmful, why pay for production?”
“If carbon dioxide is so bad for the planet, why are greenhouse growers buying CO2 generators to double plant growth?” asks rhetorically in the headline of one article, screen shot recently shared Facebook user from Lithuania.
A comment was also added to it: “Let’s not forget to wear masks!!! Good children don’t visit their parents, I TRUST SCIENCE!!!”
Screenshot from Facebook/Social Networks users remembered 2013 published essay 1
The same screenshot was shared last year as well (here, here, here). Single on this Twitter accountwhich is currently blocked, it had received 9 thousand. 5,000 likes and 5,000 shares. times.
Some from those who commented on the headline (by the way, also on now blocked accounts) explainedthat climate change is a hoax.
The article whose headline is shared is from back in 2013. was published on the “Natural News” website, where misleading information has been published before (here, here, here).
Screenshot from Twitter/Some people still think climate change is a hoax
Essay author Mike Adams introduces health a ranger (English ranger is called an officer of law enforcement or the army and/or military forces whose specialization is to patrol a certain area).
He explains that CO2 is “not bad for the planet” and points to the advertising of CO2 generators, reminding them that they are used in greenhouses to increase plant productivity.
“No, it’s not a pollutant that threatens human civilization, as doomsday global warming pushers have ridiculously claimed.” CO2 actually increases plant yields, speeds up “regeneration” and improves the greening of the planet.
And while the atmosphere today contains only 400 ppm (parts per million) of carbon dioxide, CO2 generators in greenhouses can help increase this amount to 1,500 ppm, thereby accelerating plant growth and food production.
If CO2 is so harmful to the planet, why do greenhouses pay to produce it?
If CO2 were so bad for the planet, putting a CO2 generator in a greenhouse would kill the plants. However, scientists and even governments are actually recommending additional use of CO2 in greenhouses to promote plant growth and food production.”
Screenshot from naturalnews.com/The author of the article bases his assumptions on advertising of CO2 generators
This text or its caption was shared not only by users of social networks. Excerpts from it have also been republished by some other websites, such as „Horti Daily“ (English horticulture – “horticulture”).
Summer is record hot
Contrary to what the cited essay claims, adding CO2 to the greenhouse to improve photosynthesis and stimulate plant growth is not evidence that increasing the amount of this gas in the atmosphere is green.
A carbon dioxide generator is used to increase its amount and so encourage plant growth in greenhouses or other closed spaces.
CO2 is an essential component of photosynthesis (also known as carbon assimilation). During this chemical process, using light energy, carbon dioxide and water in green plants are converted to sugar. These sugars are later used by plants for growth.
CO2 produced by various human activities is also the biggest culprit of global warming.
Scanpix/AFP photo/Carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants in England
In 2022, the average concentration was 417.0 parts per million – the largest ever recorded. At that time, its concentration in the atmosphere compared to pre-industrial times (before 1750) was 48 percent. bigger.
Also read: Carbon dioxide is a record amount, but the liars don’t see the problem
Just these days, NASA confirmed that last summer was the hottest since the 1880s, when modern accounting began.
In addition, all three summer months of this year were individually record hot. This is said to continue the long-term trend of temperature rise caused by human activity.
Global temperature is caused by increased emissions of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, etc.). Over the past 200 years, humans have increased the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere by a factor of one and a half, mostly by burning fossil fuels.
Nevertheless, interpretations that carbon dioxide does not have a negative effect on the climate if it is already used in greenhouses are incorrect.
In the greenhouse – good, in the atmosphere – not
Reuters news agency interviewed experts emphasizedthat such assumptions oversimplify the scientific understanding of how CO2 affects climate.
Greenhouse growers do use carbon dioxide generators to increase plant productivity. But this alone does not mean that the ever-increasing amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is generally good for the Earth.
In the words of Kevin Griffin, a professor in Columbia University’s Department of Ecology, Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, it would be “unwise” to extrapolate the use of generators in greenhouses — predicting unknown, future events based on experience, assuming conditions remain largely unchanged — to CO2 levels in nature.
This is how social networks explain why we should not try to control the greenhouse effect
“Perhaps the most important answer here is to separate the direct effects of CO2 on photosynthesis from the effects of CO2 on climate, and then from the indirect effects of climate on plant growth,” he explained to Reuters.
The scientist explained that CO2 not only enhances photosynthesis, but also contributes to the rise in climate temperature. This is a potentially desirable outcome for specific plants grown in greenhouses at certain times of the year, but a problematic outcome for the planet as a whole.
Trevor F. Keenan, a scientist in the Division of Climate and Ecosystem Sciences at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, echoed those comments.
“The paper focuses on just one effect of CO2 (increased plant productivity) while ignoring another important effect (global warming) that causes many problems for life on the planet, including the effects of heat stress and drought on plant productivity,” he noted.
123RF.com photo/Spring sowing
Plants benefit from additional CO2 only when it is out of balance with others photosynthesis factors vital to the process (solar energy, water).
When a lack of CO2 limits plant growth, they will respond well to increasing concentrations of this gas by increasing the rate of photosynthesis.
“Thus, in a greenhouse where plants are well watered and fertilized, increasing the CO2 concentration can effectively increase production,” K. Griffin explained.
But in natural ecosystems, carbon dioxide is often not the most limited resource, so more of it does not promote growth.
15min verdict: missing context. CO2 promotes plant growth under certain conditions, but this alone does not mean that higher concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere are good for the climate.
The publication was prepared in 15 minutes in partnership with Metawhich aims to stop the spread of misleading news on the social network. More about the program and its rules – here.
#CO2 #greenhouses #climatefriendly
Suppose you were a farmer trying to grow plants in a greenhouse why would it be important to know
Ffin explained. “However, in natural ecosystems, the scenario is more complex, as other limiting factors come into play.”
while carbon dioxide can enhance plant growth under controlled conditions, its impact on global climate change presents a significant challenge that outweighs its benefits in greenhouse settings. The rise in atmospheric CO2 levels leads to increased temperatures, which can result in droughts, heat stress, and other adverse effects on biodiversity and agriculture.
Ultimately, addressing climate change requires a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted roles that CO2 plays in both plant growth and the wider environmental context. As research continues, it is critical to balance the need for increased food production with the imperative to mitigate climate change and protect our planet’s ecosystems.
