Has Plant Life Reached Its Limits?

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Sophia Li
Published September 20, 2012

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/has-plant-life-reached-its-limits/?ref=flowersandplants

Summery:

Dr. Steven Running has said that humans are coming close to the finite limit of plant life on Earth. His study suggests that no matter how much us humans try to increase the amount of plant growth each year, it is not possible because we have almost reached a limit. Dr. Running calls the plant limit a planetary boundary that cannot be crossed without major consequences. Nine of these boundaries were already identified. He also mentions that the current extinction rate is 100 times the natural rate. Dr. Running's research has also shown that while in colder climates plant life is increasing because of warming global temperatures, plant life in areas of warmth and drought have decreased. Dr. Running cautions that if nothing is done to stop this decrease of plant life, there could be a possible mass starvation in the future.

Connection:

This article relates to our discussion of plants. Since humans are almost completely dependent on angiosperms for food, a decrease in the growth rate of angiosperms and other plants could easily wipe out many humans as less plants means less food. Also, lots of medicines come out of plants. A large extinction rate would cause a loss of biodiversity. Less biodiversity of plants could mean less medicines being produced. Overall, the loss of plant life could affect the prosperity of humans in the future.