Humans emit roughly 30 to 40 billion tons of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere each year. If we keep it up, Earth will continue to heat up and ultimately devastate our way of life.
So what can we do about it?
Most scientists agree that we need a way to capture some of that CO2 out of the atmosphere. One idea is to plant lots of trees. Trees use CO2 in order to grow. They also release oxygen, so it's a win-win.
But recent reports indicate that we simply can't grow enough trees to capture the necessary amount of CO2 that would help us meet the goals set by the Paris Agreement.
In truth, we would have to cover the entire contiguous US with trees just to capture 10% of the CO2 we emit annually.
There's just not enough room on this planet to have the farmland it takes to feed the world plus the space to plant the necessary number of trees.
In other words, many of us would starve if we tried using trees to solve our emissions problem.
7 Comments
notarobotI guess we should just give up reducing emissions, and enjoy these last few years, then, huh?
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/world/trump-paris-agreement-climate-announcement-1.4141647
newtboyYou say that jokingly, but I'm actually at that point after decades of trying to minimize my ecological footprint.
I see no chance that humanity will get it's shit together to even slow climate change, much less avoid it being disastrous. I think we passed the point of no return decades ago, and I now feel foolish for trying to be responsible instead of going for my own maximum enjoyment/payoff. No longer will I deny myself things I want in an effort to try to save the planet, because I don't even think it's possible anymore, nor do I think the majority of humans will do the same. Now I just feel like a sucker for not getting mine while the getting was good, because that's what nearly everybody else did, so my small sacrifices meant nothing....and now we're doubling down on that mindset by backing out of the Paris agreement, which was already too weak and slow to help anything, but too much for Trump.
We're doomed!
I guess we should just give up reducing emissions, and enjoy these last few years, then, huh?
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/world/trump-paris-agreement-climate-announcement-1.4141647
bobknight33Global climate evolution. The earth is fine. IF you think this is man made fine . From this fine propaganda film the population will thin out and self correct itself. all is well.
newtboyGranted, the earth will be fine....but people and other higher life forms probably won't.
Population thinning will come too late, because these effects of overpopulation will last far longer than one generation....unless you mean it will thin out to zero and self correct, which is likely.
What you don't seem to get is that when the ocean acidifies enough, the dead sea life sinks and bacteria causes massive levels of hydrogen sulfide which can then come out of solution and cover land in toxic gas clouds, leading to another "slime world" of slimes and bacteria like happened after the end-Permian extinction.
I wouldn't characterize that as "all is well" myself.
Global climate evolution. The earth is fine. IF you think this is man made fine . From this fine propaganda film the population will thin out and self correct itself. all is well.
TheFreakClearly, clean coal technology is the answer.
greatgooglymooglysays...*related https://videosift.com/video/Climatologist-Emotional-Over-Arctic-Methane-Hydrate-Release
It likely is too late, as soon as these short-lived but potent gases are released it will get unpleasant very quickly. I know dumping iron in the ocean to stimulate algae growth which then sinks as acts as a carbon sink has been discussed. Also, spraying aerosols into the upper atmosphere constantly can decrease warming, but that doesn't reduce the CO2.
siftbotMoving this video to newtboy's personal queue. It failed to receive enough votes to get sifted up to the front page within 2 days.
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