I have to think we are experiencing some kind of climate change. Our farm has different weather than 10 yrs ago.
Met Mike tells us that C02 levels have increased. Also tells us increased C02 is good for plant growth
My question is: Does this C02 increase the average temp in agriculture lands. Does this also increase average rain fall. I dunno. Would take somebody with more smarts than me to answer. But I know either of the above can be harmful to crops and soil.
In my part of the world hot summer weather is not good. Wet weather spring or fall is not good. Heavy rain fall at any time is not good
So is the increased C02 enough too offset any of the other weather changes, if the weather changes are a result of increased C02. Best crops in history can be misleading. What is the real cause of good crops. Better technology. Better knowledge of soils and practices. Better seeds and disease control. We practice all of the above on our farm But if it is hot and dry at the wrong time or too wet at the wrong time, even in mid summer, all is for naught
I am not convinced that increased C02 is the reason for better yields. A lot of other things can be better or worse. Yes C02 is good. But other weather events are bad.
Last fall we had wet weather and high levels of VOM in our corn. Some corn is useless for anything. Was this a result of C02 and changing weather patterns?? A wet fall was considered an environment that fostered growth of high levels of VOM, on corn, in the field.
Little to no snow cover and low tempss freeze water lines at new depths. Is this a net benefit or not??
Society does not need more food in NA. We do like our mostly moderate temps, not extreme highs and lows
Is C02 a net benefit or not??? Increased plant yields/growth doesn't tell the whole story, for society as a whole. IMHO
By the way I think a carbon tax is a horrible idea.
you know your particular area Wayne. What I do know crop production is up with the weather we have having and in no way would want to go back to year without a summer...but someday that cold stretch will repeat and the libs will jump right back over the fence claiming the world ends because of cooling
Wayne,
The weather over the past 40 years has been the best for life and crop growing since the Medieval Warm Period 1,000 years ago that was this warm or warmer based on over 100 studies.
The weather is NOT getting more extreme. The reporting of extreme weather has become unprecedented though, which makes it seem like it.
You want to see extreme weather?
How about this:
https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-high-and-low-temperatures
Temperatures across the United States.
Last year, we broke a record for least amount of violent tornadoes............none. Fatalities were the lowest ever. Who reported that? Fox news did. Are they biased or was CNN and the mainstream media that didn't report it biased?
The mainstream media have become climate alarmists/activists.
If all I did was listen to and believe the news reports about human climate change, then I would be convinced that its really bad. Most people DON"T have more information about climate/weather than the media. They don't have weather records or a degree in atmospheric science. When the media tells them that 97% of climate scientists agree with what they are telling you, it sounds pretty convincing.
It's intentionally misleading you. metmike is in that 97% number. That's right, us atmospheric scientists that believe the warming is beneficial are included in that number. So are the ones that believe that not all the warming is from greenhouse gas warming(some is natural) and so are some that know the weather and climate for the past 40 years have not been better, since at least 1,000 years ago...........during the Medieval Warm Period that was this warm from a natural cycle.
The average temperature of the planet is around 59 Deg. F and CO2 levels around 408 parts per million.
Was life doing better or worse 100 years ago when it was 57 Deg. F and 280 ppm?
Worse, no brainer.
The optimal level for CO2 is closer to 1,000 ppm. More than 100 years ago, at 280 ppm, we were dangerously low and plants were close to shutting down from lack of CO2.
In all of science, agronomy, biology. zoology, climate.........CO2 is a beneficial gas. The only realm that defines it as pollution(carbon pollution) is politics and they do it because of an agenda.
What about temperatures? Life is unquestionably doing better at the warmer temperature and would benefit more with some additional modest warming.
Every notice what cold does to life?
Thats why life hibernates, or goes dormant or migrates south in the Winter.........to protect itself because cold kills.
Obviously it can get too hot in the Summer for life and global warming makes is slightly hotter in some places. Turns out that cold kills numerous times more people than heat.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150520193831.htm
"Cold weather kills 20 times as many people as hot weather, according to an international study analyzing over 74 million deaths in 384 locations across 13 countries."
But these are just words. If you want some data to back up my position you can go to these links:
https://www.marketforum.com/forum/topic/18326/
https://www.marketforum.com/forum/topic/14777/
January 31st, 2019 by Roy W. Spencer, Ph. D.
I think that there should be a time that even the most ardent believers in extreme weather and things that are caused by man made climate change based on what they are being told have to be able to do enough basic critical thinking using common sense facts to realize some things just make no sense.
Blaming extreme cold on global warming has got to be setting off alarm bells in some heads. C'mon, this is silly. It would be fine to say that extreme cold can still happen with global warming and climate change but to use it and blame it on climate change tells you that your source is not being honest.
Calling CO2 pollution and telling us that its going to hurt crops and that its not massively benefiting world food production(+25% just from the additional CO2 +75% from technology) has got to set off alarm bells for anybody that understands the law of photosynthesis.
Sun +Water +Minerals +CO2 = O2 +Sugars(Food)
Below is a graph of soybean yields the past 20 years. Let it speak for itself. All scientific studies in the laboratory show massive increases for every plant when the CO2 is elevated. Every creature on this planet eats plants or something that ate plants. CO2 is a greatly beneficial gas.
If the weather was getting so extreme, it would likely affect soybean yields adversely.
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/Field_Crops/soyyld.php
