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Rupert Murdoch shows his ignorance about climate change

Murdoch right on carbon and trees, were it that simple, The Age, Tom
Arup.  January 8, 2013 Media mogul Rupert Murdoch was right to say the
world’s forests are growing faster and thicker because there is more
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a leading climate scientist says.
But it does not mean the world is better off for rising greenhouse gas
emissions.
Mr Murdoch tweeted to 388,000 followers on Monday: ”World growing
greener with increased carbon. Thirty years of satellite evidence.
Forests growing faster and thicker.”
Mr Murdoch then referred followers to an article on the topic in The
Wall Street Journal last week by Matt Ridley, a prominent climate
change sceptic.
CSIRO’s Pep Canadell, also executive director of the Global Carbon
Project, said it was correct to say that increased concentration of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere meant vegetation is becoming
greener….. But Dr Canadell said it did not mean the proportion of
total human greenhouse gases being absorbed by forests and other
terrestrial carbon sinks had increased as forests had become greener.
Studies by the Global Carbon Project have found the accumulation of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is faster than the growth of
terrestrial carbon sinks such as forests…… Forests can also only
absorb so much carbon dioxide, and will reach a saturation point. That
saturation point could be reached within the century, he said.
Nor does the increased ”greening” of forests due to higher carbon
dioxide emissions mean the loss of global forests has stopped.
A 2010 study by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation found that
between 2000 and 2010 5.2 million hectares of forest a year was lost
globally, an area about the size of Costa Rica.
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/murdoch-right-on-carbon-and-trees-were-it-that-simple-20130107-2ccuu.html#ixzz2HQFV2V6e

January 8, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, media | Leave a comment