Shocker: NASA and Columbia University Admitting CO2 has Benefits

NASA's depiction of the relative increase in earth's greening.
Notice that the Western US has greened by up to 50 percent.
Click on graphic to go to NASA article with larger picture.

For several decades now skeptics of man-caused (anthropogenic) global warming has a “fertilization” effect—it causes plants to grow faster and produce more leaves. Thousands of small enclosure experiments have shown this. However, global warming alarmists have ignored these research studies by claiming that increased disease, insects, drought, heat waves and other large-scale environmental downsides could negate the CO2 benefits. This has given the UN IPCC an excuse to ignore the benefits of CO2. Until now.

A new study published in Nature Climate Change on April 25, 2016 has blown this excuse out of the water and forced universities such as Columbia to acknowledge that CO2 does have real-world benefits. NASA agrees with them. The study involved 32 authors from 24 institutions collaborating with NASA to determine “leaf area index” for the past 35 years. Leaf area index is a relative index of the amount of leaf area in a particular location. The results are stunning as can be seen in the graphic at the top of the page.

The study revealed that 25-50 percent of the earth has experienced greening, of which at least 70 percent is attributed to increased CO2 in the form of CO2 fertilization. NASA puts this into perspective; “The greening represents an increase in leaves on plants and trees equivalent in area to two times the continental United States.” In the U.S., the most stunning revelation is that the arid Western U.S. has shown up to a 50 percent increase in leaf area index. Why? The answer to this is found in another research study also reported in the same issue of Nature Climate Change.

Plants use water more efficiently with higher CO2

Columbia University reports a study published in Nature Climate Change involving 16 researchers from a half-dozen countries on the effects of CO2 on water-use efficiency with different temperatures and drought conditions. Prior small enclosure studies have shown that plants (and crops) exposed to higher levels of CO2 grow better in high temperature or drought conditions than those exposed to “ambient” (normal) levels of CO2. However, like the greening effect discussed above, proponents of CO2 “is an evil gas” did not want to hear this and developed a host of reasons why these results should be ignored. Hence, the IPCC and other promoters of man-caused global warming have ignored the benefits.

The current study undercuts those alarmists that have buried their heads in the sand. They have ignored the positive results of CO2 in helping plants to grow faster in higher temperature or drought conditions. This study not only reviewed decades of small enclosure studies, but also included emerging results from entire farm-field studies:

Based on the current biomass of these crops, water-use efficiency would rise an average of 27 percent in wheat; 18 percent in soybeans; 13 percent in maize; and 10 percent in rice. All things considered, the study projects that average yields of current rain-fed wheat areas (mostly located in higher latitudes including the United States, Canada and Europe), might go up by almost 10 percent, while consumption of water would go down a corresponding amount.

Imagine that. Crops would actually increase in biomass and food production with elevated CO2—something we have known for decades, but denied by politically correct, agenda driven politics. Even so, the study also found that irrigated wheat in China and India declined by 4 percent (perhaps a case of too much water?) and more study is needed for other crops.

While it is refreshing that an ultra-liberal university like Columbia finally acknowledges that CO2 can be beneficial, a disclaimer had to be written. Lead author Delphine Deryng, an environmental scientist at Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research, the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and the University of Chicago’s Computation Institute dutifully cautions that the study should not be interpreted to mean that increasing carbon dioxide is a friend to humanity–only that its direct effects must be included in any calculation of what the future holds. Such a disclaimer makes the team eligible for the next $100,000 plus grant.

The point is that the politically correct UN, federal agencies and scientists have repressed this good news for decades in order for them to advance their agenda. That agenda includes income redistribution to developing nations and, more importantly, world government by controlling manufacturing and the economies of entire nations by controlling CO2 emissions. We in the USA have a chance of stopping this in our November elections. Vote wisely.