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Re: selective breeding and genetic engineering, that's going to happen regardless of the atmospheric carbon levels. Also, while I did bring up agriculture and
by saalweachter 3y ago
Re: selective breeding and genetic engineering, that's going to happen regardless of the atmospheric carbon levels.
Also, while I did bring up agriculture and it's fair to point out that it's going to get better over the next thousand years, agriculture is only about 2% of the Earth's plant biomass. While the rest of the biomass will be affected by the heat and benefit from the CO2, unless we start engineering the phytoplankton and the forests and all the other plants around us, it's not going to benefit from it.
Re: Canada's gain, there is a lot of land between 50 and 70 degrees north. The questions are (a) how much land in the north are we trading for how much land in the south? and (b) how does the productivity of the northern land compare to the productivity lost in the southern land?
- b112 3y agoRe: selective breeding and genetic engineering, that's going to happen regardless of the atmospheric carbon levels But not to tailor crops, for areas that are currently permafrost. There are billions of acres of permafrost bogs/peat in Northern Canada. They are even a concern, for as they thaw, they offgas. Think of these areas as you would think of coal, in terms of CO2 being released. But! That peat and bog is immensely fertile. If, outside of the growing season length issues, warmer temperatures come, then that is very, very rich, fertile farmland. But we need specially tailored crops, which would never be created otherwise.