Originally published August 7 2005
Global warming strips plants of their nutrients, study shows
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A new study has shown that global warming, while increasing plant growth, is reducing their nutritional value.
Balling's assertions are backed by solid science: Gaseous CO2 fertilization does cause remarkable growth spurts in many plants, and could create a greener planet with beefier tomatoes and faster-growing, bigger trees.
But there's a catch: The insects, mammals, and impoverished people in developing countries who feed on this bounty may end up malnourished, or even starving.
Peter Curtis, a professor of plant ecology at Ohio State University, gathered 159 papers addressing the nitrogen-depletion problem and found a "reduction of nitrogen in seeds in both wild and crop species," he says.
When Western Michigan University entomologist David Karowe fed cabbage white butterfly caterpillars leaves grown in an atmosphere with double the earth's current CO2 levels, the insects ate about 40 percent more plant matter than under current atmospheric conditions.
Precious few studies have been conducted on these micronutrients, but the University of Nebraska's Loladze surveyed the entire available scientific literature.
The obvious way to reduce the risk of declining food quality is to cut fossil-fuel emissions, thereby reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
But political resistance in the U.S. and the global failure to effectively curtail emissions means that CO2 levels will rise far higher in coming decades.
Still, throw more money at the problem, agrees Mattson, and, "you'll get more people working, and you'll accrue the knowledge faster.
We have an administration that has its mind set on what the policy should be.
He looks at the vast array of harm caused by increased greenhouse-gas levels -- melting ice caps, extreme weather, the altering of wildlife habitat, and the biochemical impacts of rising CO2 levels -- and concludes, "You push something a little bit every year over the long term, and you see little or nothing changing.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml