Researchers Warn of an Environmental Disaster Risk

Most people have heard about the dangers of carbon dioxide emissions into the air. Scientists have come up with another argument why mankind should abandon its destructive policies.

Approximately 40 million tons of carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere every year, but until recently, most of it has been absorbed by plants and deposited in the soil, seas and rivers, therefore, there were no serious concerns about emissions. The first to report about the risk of an environmental disaster have been researchers from Columbia University (USA), who found that the percentage of carbon dioxide absorbed by vegetation is constantly decreasing.

The researchers attribute this process to extreme climate changes. Floods and long-term droughts make a negative impact on the earth’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide. Nature is becoming increasingly unpredictable threatening the inhabitants of the Earth with most severe consequences. According to researchers, the soil’s capacity to absorb emissions has already decreased by half.

The earth will continue heating up leading to increased greenhouse effect and even greater natural disasters. The forests that could compensate for the problem are getting  increasingly smaller in number, and emissions volumes are growing. The planet is up to major climate shocks, which, according to researchers, will be the greatest challenge for people in the 21st century.