If global warming were a result of increased CO2 gases, why aren't trees flourishing around the world?

Question

Trees take in CO2, I would imagine they would be doing great... so let's celebrate Earth day by increasing our carbon footprint. SAVE THE TREES!!! DRIVE YOUR CAR!!!

Answer 1

it's not just the CO2 it is also O3 or ozone.  There are many "green house" gases that are causing global warming other than CO2, there is NO2, CO... the list goes on... but what is basically happening is that the earth is heating up and none of that heat can really escape, kinda like smog around a city... because our ozone layer is dissipating, more waves can be sent through, waves that cannot be seen, like microwaves(I believe it's infrared waves that get into the earth... but I'm not positive).  and these waves once they get in kinda circulate around the earth and continuously heat it.  So yes, trees are good and we should save them... but it's much more than that.  Hope this helps a little bit!!

Answer 2

There is more co2 in our air than the trees can use.

Answer 3

Trees and other green plants can only 'breathe in' a certain amount of CO2 just as we only breathe in a certain amount of oxygen, anything else is surplus to requirements.

If trees absorbed all the available CO2 the planet would naturally cool (a lot) and there'd be huge rapidly growing trees everywhere.  It would be a case of 'When trees go bad' or 'Attack of the killer trees'.

Answer 4

You are terribly misinformed.  Maybe you should do some research buddy.

Answer 5

CO2 is very effective at causing warming in small amounts.  And man is overwhelming nature's ability to remove CO2 with plants, of all kinds.  Here's the data that shows what's happening.

There are a great many natural sources and sinks for carbon dioxide.  But the present global warming is (mostly) the result of man made CO2 from burning fossil fuels.

There is a natural "carbon cycle" that recycles CO2.  But it's a delicate balance and we're messing it up.

Look at this graph.

http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/graphics_gall...

The little squiggles are nature doing its' thing. CO2 falls a bit during summer when plants are active, and rises during the winter. The huge increase is us, burning fossil fuels (in addition to the shape of the graph, the increase numerically matches the increase in fossil fuel use). The scientists can actually show that the increased CO2 in the air comes from burning fossil fuels by using "isotopic ratios" to identify that CO2.  The natural carbon cycle buried carbon in fossil fuels over a very long time, little bit by little bit. We dig them up and burn them, real fast.  That's a problem.

Man is upsetting the balance of nature.  We need to fix that.

Answer 6

There are many greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.  CO2 is only one of them, though it is the one most people have heard more about.

A direct answer to your question about the trees is this... The trees aren't taking care of the problem because we humans insist on cutting all of them down... all over the world... to make paper and other products and we don't replant the forests.  If the trees aren't there, they can't do their job and clean the air, right?

Millions of acres of natural forests in the US alone are clear-cut every year in the interest of building and making paper and wood products.  That's not even mentioning the rainforests or other natural forests around the world that we've managed to destroy.  Yet, we humans wonder why there's so much CO2...

I keep saying this and I hope people will finally get the message... Everything on this planet is connected.  Everything plays its own part in keeping the planet healthy and the environment in balance.  When you start messing with that balance and you start losing trees... or you start losing hundreds of species of plants and animals like the Earth is now... you destroy the balance of the environment.  Without that balance, Earth and everything on the Earth suffers.

Answer 7

Your logic appears like it might make sense, but humans and animals breathe in O2.  if you increased the O2 in the atmosphere would humans and animals flourish?

ok- it isnt exactly like that.  but here is are several answers to your question.

First of all, we don't know the exact response of plants to increased atmospheric CO2.  for that you should read up on FACE - Free Air CO2 Enrichment.  There are a number of scientific studies on the effects of increased CO2.  I am not sure there is a definitive answer to that question.  

     I do know that there seems to be an acclimatization to increased CO2.  One finding I have read is this:  

    Due to the fact that plants exchange CO2 as well as water vapour through their stomata, the intake of CO2 is often a tradeoff to losing water.  When atmospheric concentrations are higher some research has indicated that plants actually decrease their stomatal openings - they get the same CO2 from the air, but lose less water.  

Second - Warming IS causing plants to flourish to a degree- definitely - we have seen a global increase in plant productivity in recent decades (see Nemani et al 2003 in Science).  Forests are expanding north into the tundra - this also means more plant growth.  see ACIA (Arctic Climate Impacts Assessment 2005)

The increased plant growth means they are taking up more CO2.  However the warming is also affecting soil - there is approximately 400 x10^12 tons of organic carbon in northern soils and permafrost.  When this gets decomposed, it releases CO2 to the atmosphere.  The recent warming is melting permafrost and increasing the decomposition rate of carbon in northern soils more than the increase plant growth is taking up.

This example is merely an arctic example - there are many other factors - the ocean takes up CO2, cars release CO2, forest burning releases CO2, many many more...

The big picture is this - it is a balance of many positives and negatives- and right now people are monitoring atmospheric CO2 - and it is a definite fact that atmospheric concentrations are increasing - see keelings measurements.  That means that when you add up all the sources(soil decomposition, cars,  fossil fuel burning, etc...) and sinks (ocean, plants, etc..) of CO2, there is a current imbalance - more CO2 is being released than is being taken up.  

- so to summarize, plants are doing great due to warming, better nutrients in soil (an effect of warming), possibly CO2 increase.  HOWEVER - this is only one part of a very large and complex equation.

Answer 8

Drought

Answer 9

While everyone is giving you plenty of eco answers, you're not getting any common sense answers.

For example, de-forestation. The trees are replanted after being cut, in a number of ways. The first is NATURALLY. After trees are cut, stumps are pulled up (you need easy terrain to keep moving forward) This makes space. The space that is made is used by seeds and nuts dropped both before and during the actual cutting. These grow into trees all on their own. Beyond this, those cutting trees do the simple act of planting the trees they can. Why? Job preservation. Its the same reason medical companies don't make cures. Independent scientists, sure, but not companies. If no one gets sick, they don't profit.

As for plants taking in CO2 in the day, giving off oxygen at night. There are 24 time zones in the world. The Earth is spinning. Half of the green in the world is breathing in CO2 while the other is spitting out Oxygen for us.

Atmosphere-wise: Oxygen 32, Nitrogen 30, Carbon Monoxide 28, Carbon DIoxide 44, Water Vapor 18. Those are the weights of a handful of gases in our air. The heaviest are obviously, closest to the Earth itself. So, actually, there is PLENTY of CO2 for trees to use.

The issue of it being CO2's fault is one of those things known as "Common misconception." There are dozens other green house gases out there that are *not* being actively recycled like CO2 is.

To actually answer your question: "If global warming were a result of increased CO2 gases, why aren't trees flourishing around the world?"

**Its much much more than CO2**, thats the simpleton definiton you're being forcefed, sadly. Trees flourishing need more than just CO2. They need water, and mineral rich soil. That is not naturally found everywhere, thus, there are places devoid of trees.

Answer 10

Blasphemy!  CO2 is bad, no matter what anyone says, because Al Gore says.  That should be enough explanation, so stop asking pointless questions if you know whats good for you.

Answer 11

Ultraviolet radiation,temperature changes,increases or decreases in rainfall,longer or shorter growing seasons,invasive species not normally present in their environment due to changes caused by abnormal weather conditions brought on by global warming.

Answer 12

First of all ...plants take in co2 in the daytime and give off oxygen,at night it is the opposite(photosyntheses) Secondly the co2 is in the upper atmoshere a long way away from the trees.Thirdly WE ARE CUTTING THEM DOWN..

Answer 13

it is due to the cutting of trees that global warming has increased and not the vice versa. trees get the job of absorbing co2 and wen trees are absent there will be an increase in the amount of co2 to be absorbed hence resulting in global warming

Answer 14

CO2 destroys the ecosystem,(trees, humans and squid included)

Answer 15

While trees do need CO2, clearly that is not the only thing they need to flourish.

Human beings need air. There is plenty of air all around. But there are still people dying of starvation, thirst, disease, etc. Providing more air is not really going to help someone who is dying of starvation or thirst or cancer...

Regarding the 2nd part of your question, of course trees are helping decrease some C02. However the problem is that there are far more sources generating CO2 today, and far fewer trees helping reduce CO2 (due to de-forestation in many parts of the world). If you look at forested area (with lots of trees) maps of Asia (for example) from 20 years ago, and compare them with similar maps today, you will see that large parts of forested areas have been removed and replaced by cities. Buildings and cars do not reduce CO2 nearly as well as trees and bushes... :)

In the end, it is all a matter of rates. If you make a small hole near the bottom of a bucket, it will help leak water out of the bucket. However, if you now start to fill the bucket using the garden hose, then the bucket will still fill up with water and over-flow, even though you have the little hole in the bottom helping to drain out water...

Answer 16

global warming is caused by  the  confinement of water .....From bottled water to soda pop to beer to milk....not to mention canned goods like corn / peas and frozen liquids like  pop-sicles to just plain old  ice!   Think about all the liquid that is confined that is unable to cool our earth..... .the amount of liquid that cannot evaporate is uncalculatable..........p.s. let me know if you can calculate this...thanks