His brother, the CO2 molecule is pretty awesome too. CO2 is pure plant food for all the vegitation on Earth. There is also an interesting side-effect.
From Anthony:
Study: plants do better during drought thanks to increased CO2 levels
As a multiyear drought grinds on in the Southwestern United States, many wonder about the impact of global climate change on more frequent and longer dry spells. As humans emit more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, how will water supply for people, farms, and forests be affected?
A new study from the University of California, Irvine and the University of Washington shows that water conserved by plants under high CO2 conditions compensates for much of the effect of warmer temperatures, retaining more water on land than predicted in commonly used drought assessments.
According to the study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the implications of plants needing less water with more CO2 in the environment changes assumptions of climate change impacts on agriculture, water resources, wildfire risk, and plant growth.
Drought is a common occurrence in the South West - it was pure rotten luck that the first settlers arrived during an abnormally wet several decades. The fact that an increased level of CO2 will help plants to retain moisture is pure gravy.
As for CO2 being plant food - it is a key component of photosynthesis. Without CO2, sunlight and water, there would be no plants. Period.
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