Rising CO2 won't make trees grow more, study suggests • Hacker News Board

Re: Rising CO2 won't make trees grow more, study suggests

#11

Post by pliny » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 5:55 PM UTC

abootstrapper wrote: post #5

I’ve heard this argument before from climate change deniers. From a laypersons point of view I wonder why would you assume more CO2 makes trees grow more? More oxygen doesn’t make humans grow more, in fact it becomes toxic.

Trees are made of carbon, humans are not made of oxygen (humans are also made of carbon).

Re: Rising CO2 won't make trees grow more, study suggests

#12

Post by mar77i » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 5:56 PM UTC

Well as far as Dan Britt's talk goes, trees haven't noticeably been adjusting for thousands of years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yze1YAz_LYM

Re: Rising CO2 won't make trees grow more, study suggests

#13

Post by School-Cotton » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 5:57 PM UTC

abootstrapper wrote: post #5

I’ve heard this argument before from climate change deniers. From a laypersons point of view I wonder why would you assume more CO2 makes trees grow more? More oxygen doesn’t make humans grow more, in fact it becomes toxic.

A better analogy is CO2 in plants vs. food in humans. And more food definitely makes humans grow more.

Re: Rising CO2 won't make trees grow more, study suggests

#14

Post by zzzzzzzza » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 6:00 PM UTC

minikites wrote: post #9

abootstrapper wrote: post #5

I’ve heard this argument before from climate change deniers. From a laypersons point of view I wonder why would you assume more CO2 makes trees grow more? More oxygen doesn’t make humans grow more, in fact it becomes toxic.

Most of the arguments put forth by climate change deniers are argued in bad faith.

then again the original comment is also in either bad faith or ignorance since he's comparing humans to plants when they have completely different metabolic systems.

Re: Rising CO2 won't make trees grow more, study suggests

#15

Post by amvalo » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 6:00 PM UTC

nwah1 wrote: post #10

A number of problems with this method of study, and the headline is misleading. The real question is whether there will be more biomass and more photosynthesis in response to more CO2, not whether individual trees grow more. The climate skeptics don't say tree trunks will get wider, they say there will be more plant biomass. And also this is adding in confounding variables and saying more CO2 could change precipitati…

> The climate skeptics don't say tree trunks will get wider, they say there will be more plant biomass.

Speculating that plant biomass might help mitigate global warming doesn't really deserve the label "climate skeptic." It's already confirmed that rising CO2 affects crop growth rates.

Re: Rising CO2 won't make trees grow more, study suggests

#16

Post by hinkley » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 6:03 PM UTC

nwah1 wrote: post #10

A number of problems with this method of study, and the headline is misleading. The real question is whether there will be more biomass and more photosynthesis in response to more CO2, not whether individual trees grow more. The climate skeptics don't say tree trunks will get wider, they say there will be more plant biomass. And also this is adding in confounding variables and saying more CO2 could change precipitati…

Several of the reports I've seen have said we will get more biomass, but most of it will be plants we generally refer to as weeds.

Re: Rising CO2 won't make trees grow more, study suggests

#17

Post by brink » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 6:07 PM UTC

abootstrapper wrote: post #5

I’ve heard this argument before from climate change deniers. From a laypersons point of view I wonder why would you assume more CO2 makes trees grow more? More oxygen doesn’t make humans grow more, in fact it becomes toxic.

Apparently more oxygen does make bugs grow larger.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101029132924.h...

Re: Rising CO2 won't make trees grow more, study suggests

#18

Post by ocschwar » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 6:10 PM UTC

abootstrapper wrote: post #5

I’ve heard this argument before from climate change deniers. From a laypersons point of view I wonder why would you assume more CO2 makes trees grow more? More oxygen doesn’t make humans grow more, in fact it becomes toxic.

It's also so trivially easy to refute. If CO2 was a significant stimulant for plant growth, they'd be sucking it out of the air as fast as we were putting it out, and the whole issue would be moot.

Re: Rising CO2 won't make trees grow more, study suggests

#19

Post by VBprogrammer » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 6:20 PM UTC

abootstrapper wrote: post #5

I’ve heard this argument before from climate change deniers. From a laypersons point of view I wonder why would you assume more CO2 makes trees grow more? More oxygen doesn’t make humans grow more, in fact it becomes toxic.

Putting a lot of shit around the foot of a plant can make it grow faster and better. Not so much humans. I understand your point but your argument is terrible.

Re: Rising CO2 won't make trees grow more, study suggests

#20

Post by DennisP » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 6:21 PM UTC

mrfusion wrote: post #6

I’d be curious how they explain the fact that greenhouses typically add co2 for faster growth? ( disclaimer I believe in global warming with all my heart)

Greenhouses are controlled environments where everything else is abundant too. In more natural environments, plants are limited by availability of water and nutrients in the soil.

On top of that, plant growth can be reduced by heat stress. They also have to contend with insects and disease, and may not have good defenses when climate change has brought invasive organisms to the area.