Interesting finding published by the University of Wisconsin I read the other day:
Quote:
Each year, the planet balances its budget. The carbon dioxide absorbed by plants in the spring and summer as they convert solar energy into food is released back to the atmosphere in autumn and winter. Levels of the greenhouse gas fall, only to rise again.
But the budget has gotten bigger. Over the last five decades, the magnitude of this rise and fall has grown nearly 50 percent in the Northern Hemisphere, as the amount of the greenhouse gas taken in and released has increased. Now, new research shows that humans and their crops have a lot to do with it, highlighting the profound impact people have on the Earth’s atmosphere. ...
Crops play a major role in the annual CO2 cycle increase
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High yield crops, corn in particular, act like a co2 sponge, then after the crop is harvested, the co2 is no longer sucked up -- the carbon-footprint gets larger. Nothing wrong in reducing the carbon emmissions of the world but this being the 'end of the world' is a bit much.