A plan that may just reverse global warming...

[Txura Rolyu]

okay so i was thinking... how much does one small tree sapling cost? not much i would guess. I have heard that each human, breathing only, generates enough CO2 for three trees oer a year.... so why not plant three trees each year to help reverse your O2 intake? if you do it each year you could eventually reverse a large chunk of your carbon footprint and those of the ppl around you . only thing is you would have to s up a protected area to keep these trees so that they arent cut down later. just a thougt...

[Zalorticus]

Global warming has always been there; it's what keeps us alive, actually. Now, getting rid of our impact is great, but trying to get rid of global warming itself is a bad idea.

[Rain]

Right, because it's all part of a thousands-of-years or so cycle. It's like summer and winter, just on a global scale. We had our major Ice Age so many thousands of years ago, now the "springtime" is over and it's time for Warmer Weather. After that, it will all cool back down again until we have another Ice Age, and then the whole thing just starts all over again. I am all for reducing my imprint, though.

[Technowraith]

The idea is to greatly reduce man's co2 emissions, but not 100% eliminate them. The earth does need some co2 and greenhouse gases to survive after all. In the end, Trees can and do remove co2. So planting new trees is a sure fire way to reduce co2 and greenhouse gases. But vegetation alone won't solve the problem. Trees and plants collectively can not remove the same amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted in a given period of time. It's like filling a bath tub with a slow drain: eventually the tub will over flow because the drain can't empty water at the same rate as water is filling.

I would certainly encourage tree planting though. Trees provide shade, prevent erosion, and also serve to help aid in water retention and provide habitats for various animals. My town's parks and recreations department supports an annual Sapling program where residents can buy a 3 foot sapling for 2 dollars and plant it where ever. During the program's spring run back in march, i bought 50 saplings and planted them in a large garden area at the children's hospital. Today, the children who are well enough to go out in the garden tend to the trees and plants.

[Rain]

I am DEFINITELY for planting trees and grasses. Even wildflowers serve their purpose to the Earth. I'm rescuing baby trees from the garden before they get ripped up by the handtiller and putting them in water, hoping they will survive. I have TONS of baby Maples, and I'm hoping to get some in pots while they're little, for later transplanting. We also have eight fruit trees in the front yard, and I have bamboo on a table in my room. Thinking about adding Orchids to that...

[Elektrolurch]

There are big cities without that much trees

[Rain]

know you of any public or neighborhood gardens where people can plant? I saw a program once where New York is letting people buy empty lots to turn into community gardens and tiny parks and playgrounds.

I'd love to see apartment buildings with rooftop gardens someday...

[Elektrolurch]

We have some here in Steyr. But yeah, I'd definitely love that too.... New York would be a green city

[Rain]

Yes, and the skyscrapers would have huge beautiful vines hanging down the top three floors.

[Txura Rolyu]

i understand now about the whole globl warming thing. sorry for the mix up.

About the trees thoug, does anybod know of the most efficient tree that converts the most CO2?

[Zalorticus]

"The most effective trees in this respect are the Aleppo pine (which captures 8870kg of CO2 per year) and the Stone pine (capturing 27,180kg of CO2 per year). Amongst the most common found in cities, are the three-thorned acacia, the jacaranda, the elm and the ash."

From: http://www.repsol.com/es_en/casa_y_hogar/energia_en_casa/reportajes/educar_ciencia/arboles_captura_co2.aspx

[Technowraith]

know you of any public or neighborhood gardens where people can plant? I saw a program once where New York is letting people buy empty lots to turn into community gardens and tiny parks and playgrounds.

I'd love to see apartment buildings with rooftop gardens someday...

Philadelphia PA (United States) supports a robust community garden program. There are numerous former vacant lots in the city that have been converted to gardens. you have to be a member of the Community Garden program to grow plants and things. But it charming to see an entire garden in the middle of the city. Most of the gardens are private property though, so the public can't go in. The city's numerous parks offer open space and shade. The city does go through and replace trees as old one that are dead or nuisance have to be removed, so the city will replace those trees with new trees.

[Ioang taronyu]

if you look for the most effective trees you musst also think over how huge the tree is. The easyst way to turn CO2 + H20 + ergie to C6O6H12 (sugar) +O2 is to use alga 

[Ku'rända]

Quite interesting.. :B  Atlanta, GA is right smack-dab in the middle of a (temperate) rainforest, and the trees don't really seem to help in the summer with the smog and heat-  though it does make the city look nicer and more environmentally friendly :B

[Txura Rolyu]

I had seen a program on TV about how scientists were trying to get algae to grow in tubes and they would pump air in them to give them the CO2 they needed. They were doing this out in the desert so I dont know if that was the best idea, seeing as the algae was in water and that could get really hot and kill off some of the algae, but I think they had the rigth idea by keeping it controled and still allowing it to convert the CO2 to O2. If you took the algae and grew it then converted it to bio fuel... that would be really great.

[Elektrolurch]

But I guess all those plants would hardly survive the enormous amounts of co2 and all the other toxics..

[El Jacko]

I had seen a program on TV about how scientists were trying to get algae to grow in tubes and they would pump air in them to give them the CO2 they needed. They were doing this out in the desert so I dont know if that was the best idea, seeing as the algae was in water and that could get really hot and kill off some of the algae, but I think they had the rigth idea by keeping it controled and still allowing it to convert the CO2 to O2. If you took the algae and grew it then converted it to bio fuel... that would be really great.

Believe it or not, Exxon Mobil recently handed out a $600million contract to a genetics firm who are now working on engineering a species of algae to convert atmospheric CO₂ into hydrocarbons.

[Kerame Pxel Nume]

Right, because it's all part of a thousands-of-years or so cycle. It's like summer and winter, just on a global scale. We had our major Ice Age so many thousands of years ago, now the "springtime" is over and it's time for Warmer Weather. After that, it will all cool back down again until we have another Ice Age, and then the whole thing just starts all over again. I am all for reducing my imprint, though.

You're only forgetting, that we (humans) in merely 2 centuries blew that carbon into the atmosphere, which had been organically equested into coal, oil and gas over millions of years. On the long term our actions will be neglectible, yes. What worries me are the short term effects (in the range of 100 to 10000 years).

The other two main greenhouse gasses, methane and water vapour, are either of neglectible or constant effect: Methane get's cracked up in the upper atmosphere by UV radiation, and the amount of water vapour (i.e. humidity), can only become so large, before clouds form and rain off.

What's going on right now is unprecedented, so nobody can tell what's going to happen. The only thing I know is, that it's not going to be good for us (humans).

[Ku'rända]

You know, up until recently, we actually managed to close that hole in the ozone layer.  I'm not sure if it's reopened or not, but if it hasn't it's going to start up again real soon. :|


Also: On trees- While they do metabolize CO2 into O2, they -do- need sufficient oxygen to survive.

[Kerame Pxel Nume]

You know, up until recently, we actually managed to close that hole in the ozone layer.  I'm not sure if it's reopened or not, but if it hasn't it's going to start up again real soon. :|

Where does this confusion between the ozone laye hole and the effect greenhouse gasses come? The ozone layer got destroyed by CFCs through a rather complicated catalytic process (there was even a Nobel prize awarded for figuring out, how CFCs are responsible for destruction of ozone).

The other thing is the greenhouse effect, caused largely by H2O, CO2 and CH4. The greenhouse effect itself is well understood, the scientific questions araise from our lack of knowledge, how the whole climatic system reacts to distortions.

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Also: On trees- While they do metabolize CO2 into O2, they -do- need sufficient oxygen to survive.
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In the net effect plants comsumemore CO2 than they release (not surprising, they feed on that carbon).