TC4 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Uh oh, guess after we stop driving all those gas guzzling SUVs, we gotta cut down ALL the trees to stop global warming now too http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060111/sc_nm/environment_methane_dc New source of global warming gas found: plants Wed Jan 11, 1:06 PM ET LONDON (Reuters) - German scientists have discovered a new source of methane, a greenhouse gas that is second only to carbon dioxide in its impact on climate change. The culprits are plants. They produce about 10 to 30 percent of the annual methane found in the atmosphere, according to researchers at the Max-Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany. The scientists measured the amount of methane released by plants in controlled experiments. They found it increases with rising temperatures and exposure to sunlight. "Significant methane emissions from both intact plants and detached leaves were observed ... in the laboratory and in the field," Dr Frank Keppler and his team said in a report in the journal Nature. Methane, which is produced by city rubbish dumps, coal mining, flatulent animals, rice cultivation and peat bogs, is one of the most potent greenhouse gases in terms of its ability to trap heat. Concentrations of the gas in the atmosphere have almost tripled in the last 150 years. About 600 million tonnes worldwide are produced annually. The scientists said their finding is important for understanding the link between global warming and a rise in greenhouse gases. It could also have implications for the Kyoto Protocol, which calls for developed countries to cut their emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12. Keppler and his colleagues discovered that living plants emit 10 to 100 times more methane than dead plants. Scientists had previously thought that plants could only emit methane in the absence of oxygen. David Lowe, of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand, said the findings are startling and controversial. "Keppler and colleagues' finding helps to account for observations from space of incredibly large plumes of methane above tropical forests," he said in a commentary on the research. But the study also poses questions, such as how such a potentially large source of methane could have been overlooked and how plants produced it. "There will be a lively scramble among researchers for the answers to these and other questions," Lowe added. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 And I thought the President had big methane producing machines in the White House back yard all this time! Seriously though, good article. I read a similar one recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thiebear Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 I had read somewhere that the Amazon was the biggest polluter of all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Dave Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Well, I guess this gives the government free reign to pollute until their heart's content. You made it politcal Zguy, not me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Well, I guess this gives the government free reign to pollute until their heart's content.You made it politcal Zguy, not me. I WAS KIDDING! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Dave Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 I WAS KIDDING! Sure you were... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EersSkins05 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Plants and trees have been around longer on this planet than industry, and yet only over the past 200 years has there been a significant change in global and ocean temperatures. The only real meaning behind this research is that we should be trying even harder to reduce those pollutants that we can control... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EersSkins05 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 EDIT- oops, double post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TODD Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Plants and trees have been around longer on this planet than industry, and yet only over the past 200 years has there been a significant change in global and ocean temperatures.The only real meaning behind this research is that we should be trying even harder to reduce those pollutants that we can control... Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrockster21 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 This is old news, isn't it?? I mean, we've always known that plants release greenhouse gases...this is common knowledge (I thought). Why is this such breaking news? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 This is old news, isn't it?? I mean, we've always known that plants release greenhouse gases...this is common knowledge (I thought). Why is this such breaking news? Because most believe only human pollution causes it. Instead they are starting to think plant growth accounts for 10-30% of emissions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrockster21 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Because most believe only human pollution causes it. Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that we've known about plants for a long time...its not like greenhouse gases are a "new" thing...they are a regular part of our atmosphere. Its that we are upsetting the balance with industry and SUVs and the like which is causing global warming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins24 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 ...and yet only over the past 200 years has there been a significant change in global and ocean temperatures... Define significant Any change in the past 200 years could be extremely small compared to other global warming episodes in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Plants and trees have been around longer on this planet than industry, and yet only over the past 200 years has there been a significant change in global and ocean temperatures.The only real meaning behind this research is that we should be trying even harder to reduce those pollutants that we can control... Prove it. The Earth's climate has been changing since the dawn of time, and it will continue to change. To think we can do much about it is giving mankind too much credit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearrock Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 According to the researcher who point to plants as one of the significant source of methane gas, they only account to 10 to 30 percent. Stands to reason that although plant produced methane gas has always been around, it wasn't enough to cause global warming problems (I don't think anyone is arguing that we need to reduce methane gas emission by 70 to 90 percent to reverse global warming). So, the methane gas emission that puts us over the danger level (whatever that may be) is produced by human beings. And because we need plants to produce oxygen, we must live with the methane gas it produces. Meaning, if we want to cut down on methane gas emission to a safe level, then we must cut human produced methane gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chomerics Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 The Earth's climate has been changing since the dawn of time, and it will continue to change. To think we can do much about it is giving mankind too much credit To think we can do nothing is giving mankind NO credit!!! Especially when we CAN cut down on emissions, but refuse to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EersSkins05 Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 According to the researcher who point to plants as one of the significant source of methane gas, they only account to 10 to 30 percent. Stands to reason that although plant produced methane gas has always been around, it wasn't enough to cause global warming problems (I don't think anyone is arguing that we need to reduce methane gas emission by 70 to 90 percent to reverse global warming). So, the methane gas emission that puts us over the danger level (whatever that may be) is produced by human beings. And because we need plants to produce oxygen, we must live with the methane gas it produces. Meaning, if we want to cut down on methane gas emission to a safe level, then we must cut human produced methane gas. To think we can do nothing is giving mankind NO credit!!!Especially when we CAN cut down on emissions, but refuse to do so. ^^^^ Bingo aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Bingo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brave Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 I would suggest to those interested in this topic that they read Michael Chrichton's latest novel, "State of Fear." A pretty tight story wrapped around the Environmentalist movement vs. Industry battle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TODD Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 To think we can do nothing is giving mankind NO credit!!!Especially when we CAN cut down on emissions, but refuse to do so. Beat me to it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 To think we can do nothing is giving mankind NO credit!!!Especially when we CAN cut down on emissions, but refuse to do so. The problem is not the US but you refuse to admit it. Go to some of the countries in the middle east and Asia where it is so populated and look at the air, that is where the problem is and the UN needs to worry more about that then the others stuff they do. I was in India a couple of weeks ago, and it was smog everywhere, nothing like the US, nothing at all. Most contries have not laws regarding automobiles like the US, they are driving what ever they can get their hands on, and there are so many automobiles that would not be allowed on the roads here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadets08 Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 Global warming is a joke. A volcanic eruptions spews about 10,000 more toxins then the entire world produces in a year. Well, that Alaskan volcano erupted three times yesterday....volcanos have been erupting for years....everything seems pretty normal to me. Until I see hard cold facts from the UNBIASED NON-LIBERAL MEDIA I will continue to laugh at those that worry about this nonsense. One last thing. Let's say global warming does exist, it will only protect us from getting struck by a meteor (from the Simpsons) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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