A major misconception most people have about plants is that they get their substance from the ground. Nearly everyone is surprised to find out that is just not the case.
Yes, plants get water and minerals from the ground but the substance of a plant – surprise, surprise – comes from the air.
Yes, you read that correctly. Plants take in carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, then use the energy from the sun through the process of photosynthesis to absorb the carbon and release the oxygen back into our atmosphere.
This process involves the separating of the carbon atom from the CO2 molecule. This carbon atom becomes the major substance of the plant. The oxygen atoms are not required by the plant and are thus released back into our environment. What a concept; the plant has used and stored the energy from the sun in accomplishing this.
What's interesting is the sun's energy is not lost in the process; it is absorbed and stored by the plant. For all intents and purposes, the plant has stored this energy from the sun much like a photocell and a battery.
Both processes store the sun's energy. In my opinion, the plant stores the sun's energy far more effectively and efficiently than any battery with no difficult chemicals to deal with.
With this basic knowledge, how can anyone in their right mind call CO2 pollution? It is in fact life to our planet.
The more CO2 in our atmosphere -- within reason -- the more our plants can grow better and faster. When plants grow faster, what are they doing? They are absorbing more carbon, releasing more oxygen, all while storing the sun's energy. It is simply amazing.
We are currently nowhere near a dangerous level of CO2 in our atmosphere, or at a level which would cause any warming.
We are currently at approximately 405 parts per million (ppm) and I feel it would be quite reasonable to go to 1,500 ppm and not affect the planet's temperature. Our plants would grow so much faster and larger, along with feeding more people. Who wouldn't want that?
Why is it so hard for people to understand basic chemistry and biology? Most people on the side of man-made global warming are quite ignorant when confronted with basic high school science.
They are completely unwilling to understand these facts. There is a lot of use of the word "science" by man-made global warming supporters, but no actual science.
The inconvenient truth for the man-made global warmers is burning wood or coal is in fact green energy.
Jim Schulz
Olds
