Sunday, March 28, 2004
Gaia
According to the United Nations Environment Program, Earth is getting literally greener. As carbon dioxide levels rise, and the Amazon's cloud cover dissipates, plants are growing faster and bigger. This is the Gaia Hypothesis in action.
The thing is, it's not a good sign: it's a sign of how significantly we're changing our environment. Even assuming the Gaia Hypothesis works, there's the question of how much it can do and how long it takes.
The other problem is that persons inclined not to like environmental protections will misinterpret this report as saying that things are OK. "Greener" happens when smaller, fast-growing plants outcompete big, slow ones...this causes habitat devastation, and can lead to mass extinctions.
The thing is, it's not a good sign: it's a sign of how significantly we're changing our environment. Even assuming the Gaia Hypothesis works, there's the question of how much it can do and how long it takes.
The other problem is that persons inclined not to like environmental protections will misinterpret this report as saying that things are OK. "Greener" happens when smaller, fast-growing plants outcompete big, slow ones...this causes habitat devastation, and can lead to mass extinctions.
