Fossils show huge carbon emissions harm forests, not ‘green the planet’
Study of 56m-year-old leaves counters claims from Trump administration members of ‘benefits’ of fossil fuel pollution Adding huge quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is set to cause the Earth’s forests to wither and die rather than flourish, according to a new study that counters erroneous claims that fossil fuel pollution will green the planet. An analysis of fossilized leaf cells…
A recent study of fossilized leaves from 56 million years ago reveals that massive carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion are harming forests, not benefiting them as claimed by some in the Trump administration. The study, published in Science, shows that during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a rapid release of carbon dioxide caused forests to wither and die rather than flourish.
The current rate of carbon emissions is unprecedented, and the findings provide a chilling warning about the future of Earth's forests.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
