How does global warming affect the plants?

Question

and how much would it affect us concerning the status of the plants?

Answer 1

Global warming -- a gradual increase in planet-wide temperatures -- is now well documented and accepted by scientists as fact. A panel convened by the U.S National Research Council, the nation's premier science policy body, in June 2006 voiced a "high level of confidence" that Earth is the hottest it has been in at least 400 years, and possibly even the last 2,000 years. Studies indicate that the average global surface temperature has increased by approximately 0.5-1.0°F (0.3-0.6°C) over the last century. This is the largest increase in surface temperature in the last 1,000 years and scientists are predicting an even greater increase over this century. This warming is largely attributed to the increase of greenhouse gases (primarily carbon dioxide and methane) in the Earth's upper atmosphere caused by human burning of fossil fuels, industrial, farming, and deforestation activities.

Average global temperatures may increase by 1.4-5.8ºC (that's 2.5 - 10.4º F) by the end of the 21st century. Although the numbers sound small, they can trigger significant changes in climate. (The difference between global temperatures during an Ice Age and an ice-free period is only about 5ºC.) Besides resulting in more hot days, many scientists believe an increase in temperatures may lead to changes in precipitation and weather patterns. Warmer ocean water may result in more intense and frequent tropical storms and hurricanes. Sea levels are also expected to increase by 0.09 - 0.88 m. in the next century, mainly from melting glaciers and expanding seawater . Global warming may also affect wildlife and species that cannot survive in warmer environments may become extinct. Finally, human health is also at stake, as global warming may result in the spreading of certain diseases such as malaria, the flooding of major cities, a greater risk of heat stroke for individuals, and poor air quality.

Climate change is very likely having an impact now on our planet and its life, according to the latest installment of a report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). And the future problems caused by rising seas, growing deserts, and more frequent droughts all look set to affect the developing world more than rich countries, they add. The report is the second chapter of the IPCC's Fourth Assessment -- the most comprehensive summary yet of research into the causes and effects of climate change. To read more, visit Effects of climate change tallied up.

Factors

Greenhouse Gases

The increase in greenhouse gases caused by human activity is often cited as one of the major causes of global warming. These greenhouse gases reabsorb heat reflected from the Earth's surface, thus trapping the heat in our atmosphere. This natural process is essential for life on Earth because it plays an important role in regulating the Earth's temperature. However, over the last several hundred years, humans have been artificially increasing the concentration of these gases, mainly carbon dioxide and methane in the Earth's atmosphere. These gases build up and prevent additional thermal radiation from leaving the Earth, thereby trapping excess heat.

Solar Variability & Global Warming

Some uncertainty remains about the role of natural variations in causing climate change. Solar variability certainly plays a minor role, but it looks like only a quarter of the recent variations can be attributed to the Sun. At most. During the initial discovery period of global warming, the magnitude of the influence of increased activity on the Sun was not well determined.

Solar irradiance changes have been measured reliably by satellites for only 30 years. These precise observations show changes of a few tenths of a percent that depend on the level of activity in the 11-year solar cycle. Changes over longer periods must be inferred from other sources. Estimates of earlier variations are important for calibrating the climate models. While a component of recent global warming may have been caused by the increased solar activity of the last solar cycle, that component was very small compared to the effects of additional greenhouse gases. According to a NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) press release, "...the solar increases do not have the ability to cause large global temperature increases...greenhouse gases are indeed playing the dominant role..." The Sun is once again less bright as we approach solar minimum, yet global warming continues.

GLOBAL WARMING HAS TO STOP BEFORE WE ALL DIE.

HUMANS MADE THIS MESS AND HUMANS ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN CLEAN IT UP!

Answer 2

The extra carbon monoxide is good for them.

It is what they "breathe" to make food and continue living.

Scientists believe that there was a period where there was so much carbon that the plants were superplants and there weren't as many animals.

Answer 3

they get dry very quick.

Answer 4

a very simple break down waych the movie Day after tomorow know i understand that its a movie but the way the earth would be effect is very similar to this movie.

Answer 5

dries them and kills them

Answer 6

Global warming is already affecting what plants can grow where. North Carolina's climate used to be a little cooler, but the Arbor foundation recently changed the growing zones to include North Carolina in the same zone as South Carolina. Which explains why people have been able to grow palm trees in NC; something which people were not able to do about ten years ago.

Answer 7

Health effects are being observed around the world involving increased levels of allergens.  Both the CDC and The World Health Organization have issued reports linking this to Global Warming, as have many physician groups like American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Don't buy the nonsense you will hear about how the increases in CO2 will be good for plants.  There have been excellent studies done on that, in Sweden and California.  They both showed the same things.  Trees grown at controlled elevated CO2 levels were stunted.  They had more but smaller leaves, and the leaves were malformed.  The lifespan of the trees was shortened, into the range of 2-3 years.

NOTHING to do with Global Warming is good for anybody!

Answer 8

Plants would grow a lot more.  With increased heat comes increased precipitation and the so-called increase in CO2 which would lag the heat by about 800 years would cause plant life to spread and sprawl into even urban areas.  Then we would have to use our mowers more which would contribute to pollution and the growing use of fossil fuels.

Answer 9

we would not be alive today if it weren't for plants. all of our energy comes from them. global warming will affect plants slowly and gradually with more and more time but global warming is more concerned with ocean temperatures rising.

Answer 10

Some species of plants are used to getting warm heat, but are now actually cooking, like my poor aloe plant outside.

Answer 11

Hmmm....well lil Timmy, it doesn't effect them at all! You see here, there was a man named Al Gore. And one fine day, he got very very bored with his crossword puzzles and hot coca. He decided to create this propaganda called, 'Global Warming'. Now every fool thinks that our fine Government is to blame. Oh and cow farts. But all nonsense aside, let's go have some burgers. "hahahahaha"

Answer 12

Most plants do better in a warmer climate.  

I am not sure why this is so hard to believe - the opposite is SO clearly true - cool down a warm climate and watch everything die.

Answer 13

plants( like animals) can only handle certain tempertures and if the temperture increases, the plants will die out and different ones will grow in its place!

Answer 14

the specific gases in the air and pollution affect photosynthesis and kill the plant. they also need certain climate and if it changes then they die too

Answer 15

well, more Co2 would actually increase plant growth, but global warming would cause there to be more droughts and torrential rain falls, causing famines across the lands of earth. We would esentially destroy civilization with global warming, which is why it is important to stop it. So many plants would die as a result of this

Answer 16

ranges where they can live will move faster than they can spread.

drought, and/or flood.

soils near coasts will become too salty.

above a certain temp. dependent on the plant's range the stomata (little holes) on leaves close to prevent transpiration (loosing water), so they stop absorbing CO2 and photosynthesising.

more ozone at ground level will stunt them.

poor humans will go hungry.

Answer 17

well with rising sea levels it will food them. If the temperature gets hotter they may not suvuve without water.

Answer 18

Here's some interesting information:

http://www.co2science.org/subject/commen...

Answer 19

Mars seems to be having the same warming trend we are.

Don't those martians know they are killing their planet!

Answer 20

if it occurs it will give  them a longer growing season & allow them to grow in places  where they cant grow now.

for instance a little warming would make it possible to grow corn in Canada where it cant be grown now.

look out your window in the spring when the temperature hits 50 things start turning green as opposed to winter when everythings dead & brown.