As we approach the 4th of July, and the celebration of our independence from Great Britain, how about some good news for a change. No, not about politics, which always seems to be bad news. Instead, how about some good news on the natural front. At the American Thinker today, Vijay Jayaraj has a post entitled CO2 sustains greenhouse farming revolution.
Jayaraj asks if CO2 is such a dangerous gas that it is literally killing the planet, why would farmers deliberately pump it into their greenhouses at levels far greater than the atmospheric amount of 400 parts per million? What do they know that the climate alarmists clearly pretend not to know? Remember, the more crops, and the higher quality of those crops that a farmer grows, the more money he makes.
Carbon dioxide -- the gas branded as public enemy number one -- is not destroying the planet. It’s enhancing life on it. Across the globe, elevated CO2 levels are supercharging plant growth and delivering bountiful crop harvests at unprecedented rates.
Why does this matter? Because future generations could benefit from rejecting the hysteria and embracing common sense and well-established facts.
Since the start of the 20th century, atmospheric CO2 has risen from around 300 parts per million (ppm) to over 420 ppm. If you believe some headlines, this is tantamount to a death sentence. But if you're a farmer -- or a scientist focused on plant physiology -- this increase looks like a gift.
Gentle readers who are interested can read about the success of greenhouse farming around the world. China, it turns out, is a global leader in greenhouse farming. Israel has quite a bit as well. I just wanted to point out that even here in North Carolina, where agriculture is big business, greenhouse farming is also big business:
The Metrolina Greenhouses in Huntersville, North Carolina, consists of eight million square feet of heated indoor growing space, making it the largest single-site, heated greenhouse in the U.S.
The Meteorologists on the news keep telling us that we need to be careful because of the heat. I don't know though, I remember running in temperatures reaching into the 100 range in Huntsville, Alabama in my 20s, and I am here to tell you about it. It has been hot lately, I will give you that, but I have managed to keep up with my jogging. Meanwhile, the higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere make pasture and meadow grasses grow better, which feeds cows and sheep to provide tastey meals for us. Seems like a win-win to me.
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