Why Carbon Emissions Are Good For The Planet And Humankind, According To Conservatives

Why Carbon Emissions Are Good For The Planet And Humankind, According To Conservatives

by Natasha Geiling at Think Progress

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/07/22/3683443/social-cost-of-carbon-hearing-crazy-arguments/

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It’s a proven scientific fact that plants use carbon dioxide for survival, to convert CO2 and water to oxygen and sugar through a process called photosynthesis. Climate deniers have often seized upon this fact to prove that even if carbon emissions are causing global warming, it can’t be all that bad because carbon dioxide helps plants grow — it has a fertilization effect on the planet, they reason, bumping up agricultural production and stimulating the global economy.

During the hearing, Patrick Michaels, director of the Cato Institute’s Center for the Study of Science, repeated this idea early and often, citing “thousands of scientific studies that point to the direct fertilization effect shown by an increase in carbon to agriculture.”

Scientific studies have shown that the fertilization effect isn’t completely outlandish — some crops really do perform better in high-carbon scenarios, at least for a time. But what Michaels failed to mention is that numerous studies have shown that while high-carbon scenarios might have some benefits, they also come with serious trade-offs. Some studies have shown that the fertilization effect stimulates the growth of weeds, raising concern about farmers’ ability to manage weed growth in the future.

Severe weather events made more intense by climate change can destroy crops, causing food insecurity for small farmers that rely on subsistence farming. Climate change is also expected to make droughts more common and severe, creating issues with with water access and irrigation for farmland. And even if farmers can still grow food — with increased weed production, more intense storms, shifting regional climates (and growing seasons), and a lack of water — that food is still likely to be less nutritious when grown in high-carbon scenarios.

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