Global rice production “has nearly doubled in the last 50 years,” and climate change is part of the reason why, according to a study in Scientific Reports.
While improving rice-growing techniques are “the most important factor in this increase,” the rising level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is “the primary environmental factor … by enhancing photosynthesis and improving water-use efficiency.”
Climate change, in the form of “rising CO₂ and warmer temperatures” has contributed to that success, notes Anthony Watts:
this new study from researchers at the University of Illinois reveals a striking reality: global rice production nearly doubled from the 1960s to the 2010s….
The researchers conclude that improved management practices, including expanded irrigation, increased fertiliser use and better farming techniques, were the primary drivers of rising rice production….
But…rising atmospheric carbon dioxide was “the primary environmental factor contributing to increased rice production by enhancing photosynthesis and improving water-use efficiency.”
That finding should not be controversial. Carbon dioxide is not merely a greenhouse gas. It is also the fundamental building block of plant growth. Through photosynthesis, plants combine CO₂, water and sunlight to create the sugars that fuel growth and food production….
For years, scientists have documented the CO₂ fertilisation effect. Higher atmospheric CO₂ concentrations generally allow plants to grow faster and use water more efficiently. Satellite observations have shown significant global greening over recent decades, with expanding vegetation across many regions of the world. Crops are part of that story….Rice feeds more than half the world’s population. According to this study, global rice production nearly doubled over the past 50 years.
Mangrove forests are recovering around the world.
Low-lying Pacific islands are expanding, contrary to what Al Gore predicted.
Trees in the Amazon are getting bigger and more robust, due to higher levels of carbon dioxide.
Most of the world’s forests are expanding. Reforestation is offsetting the effects of global warming in parts of the U.S.
The amount of vegetation on the Earth has increased for each of the last 30 years.
