By Marvin Agyen
Plants don’t want this much sunlight!
This September, a study in California showed that plants with too much sunlight won’t survive very long, After wanting to see if plants could combat global warming, the scientists simulated a 30+ year time skip with the effects of global warming, and the results are much worse than expected.
Too much Sunlight, Not enough Resources
The increased heat and carbon dioxide levels really took a toll on plants. The plants didn’t grow any more as anticipated. In fact, the plants weren’t even able to absorb pollution and waste. Plants started wilting faster in reaction to the rising temperature.
Plants are not the key to beating global warming as hoped, and alternatives are being found. The time skip to the other half showed that plants won’t be able to take too much carbon dioxide, and only nitrogen made the plants look greener. Grasslands as a whole will not tolerate global warming effects.
Animals Also At Risk
It’s not just plants that are in danger. Animals that can’t beat the heat, such as reptiles, are slowly going extinct. New Zealand’s native species of tuatara, are dying out due to increased temperatures. These critters aren’t dying of heat exhaustion or thirst, but because there is a lack of females.
The eggs of a tuatara are temperature sensitive, and females come from cooler eggs. But because of rising temperatures, the eggs are producing more males, which come from warmer eggs. Action is being taken to prevent this species from going extinct, but if things aren’t done to curb global warming, humans will not be the only ones suffering.