Trees are suffering from a cough as a result of climate change
Trees suffer from coughing as a result of climate change
There is no doubt that trees and plants play a crucial role in confronting global warming, through their absorption of carbon dioxide and the production of oxygen, a process that reduces the concentration ofGreenhouse Gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. Trees and plants also maintain biodiversity and improve soil quality. Which enhances environmental sustainability and resists environmental degradation resulting from global warming. The role of plants in reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality – in general – makes them an essential element in combating negative environmental phenomena.
Therefore, we can consider trees – and vegetation in general – as the first protective shield in the face of climate change, the changes that we have begun to feel, and whose effects we suffer greatly, as well as the various biological systems around us, and even the trees themselves have begun to suffer!
Weak ability to absorbCO2
According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have found that trees located in warmer and drier regions are struggling to fulfill their most important vital role, which is absorbing carbon dioxide. Which means that trees may become a less efficient solution to confront the negative effects of global warming, resulting from the carbon footprint of human activities.
The shocking result reached by the study led those in charge of it to describe trees in dry and warm regions as – metaphorically – suffering from coughing, which was confirmed by Max Lloyd, Assistant Research Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, and the main author of the study, who pointed out a frightening fact, which is that trees in those regions send carbon dioxide directly back into the atmosphere at a much higher rate, compared to trees in climatic conditions. Moderate.
To understand the above more clearly, we must understand the process ofphotosynthesis, which is carried out by plants and trees. It can be summarized as a process in which trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, in order to exploit it in their own growth processes, but when there are stressful conditions – such as heat and drought – the plant releases carbon dioxide again into the atmosphere, a process known as photorespiration.
The effect of warming on the behavior of trees
By analyzing a global dataset of tree tissue, the research team showed that the rate of photorespiration is up to two times greater in warm climates, especially when water resources available to plants are limited. They also found that achieving a higher than normal rate of photorespiration in subtropical climates requires average temperatures throughout the day of up to 20 degrees Celsius, and the rate increases with increasing temperature.
These shocking results will make many reconsider the common belief about the role of plants and trees in helping to reduce the percentage of carbon in the atmosphere! The study also showed a shift in plant behavior to adapt to climate change, as researchers noted that as temperatures rise, plants and trees are less able to pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Which will necessarily lead to a decline in its decisive role in confronting global warming.
Lloyd, commenting on these results, said: “Plants and climate are inextricably linked, and the largest withdrawal of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere is carried out by organisms that carry out the process of photosynthesis, which is the cornerstone of the formation of the atmosphere. Which means that any small changes in this process will have big effects.”
Plants currently absorb about 25% of the carbon dioxide produced by human activities each year, according to the US Department of Energy, but this percentage is likely to decrease in the future as temperatures rise, especially with less water availability.
What does the future hold for us?
In theory, more carbon dioxide in the air means more food for plants and trees. But in light of the sharp changes in climate, and what the study indicates about the decline in the ability of plants to absorb carbon dioxide in light of these changes – the future does not look good.
In the same study, researchers discovered that the variation in the abundance of methoxyl groups (CH3O-) that we find in wood – serves as an indicator of the degree of photorespiration in trees, which may help other research teams track the ability of plants and trees to absorb carbon dioxide in different regions, and link the results to rates of climate change. To get a clearer picture of what the future may hold for us.
This interesting study is a warning bell about the seriousness of climate changes, which can transform effective solutions overnight into useless solutions, such as the model we reviewed in this article, where it was shown that the trees and plants themselves will not remain able to confront climate changes, but will also be affected.
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires all of us to work in an integrated manner to transform our human activities into sustainability and reduce their carbon footprint. To give our ecosystems a better chance to recover, so that they can also contribute to confronting climate change.
