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climate change God's sovereignty Science

Increased carbon dioxide has caused an increase in green vegetation globally

A report published by the Australian CSIRO in 2013 has shown that the increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been very good for the planet. CO2 is plant food and the increased concentration is the atmosphere has meant a ‘greening’ of vegetation in all areas of the planet. This includes the arid Australian deserts.

Quoting the report:

In findings based on satellite observations, CSIRO, in collaboration with the Australian National University (ANU), found that this CO2 fertilisation correlated with an 11 per cent increase in foliage cover from 1982-2010 across parts of the arid areas studied in Australia, North America, the Middle East and Africa, according to CSIRO research scientist, Dr Randall Donohue.

“In Australia, our native vegetation is superbly adapted to surviving in arid environments and it consequently uses water very efficiently,” Dr Donohue said. “Australian vegetation seems quite sensitive to CO2 fertilisation.

This, along with the vast extents of arid landscapes, means Australia featured prominently in our results.”

“While a CO2 effect on foliage response has long been speculated, until now it has been difficult to demonstrate,” according to Dr Donohue.

Thus I conclude that if this is the case then the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere provides a providential benefit to the planet. We live under common grace, meaning that God the Creator is the One who sends the rain, feeds the plants and grows the crops. He doesn’t differentiate where or for whom He does this. He provides for all, both good and bad.

That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matthew 5:45

He is the one who has superintended the planet for all of man’s existence here. He will continue to do so as long as hot and cold weather, summer and winter, and harvest continue. And that will be as long as the planet exists.

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Genesis 8:22

So there is only one conclusion we can draw here. Don’t panic! There is no global warming emergency — no climate catastrophe. God is in control.

Reference

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By John Gideon Hartnett

Dr John G. Hartnett is an Australian physicist and cosmologist, and a Christian with a biblical creationist worldview. He received a B.Sc. (Hons) and Ph.D. (with distinction) in Physics from The University of Western Australia, W.A., Australia. He was an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Outstanding Researcher Award (DORA) fellow at the University of Adelaide, with rank of Associate Professor. Now he is retired. He has published more than 200 papers in scientific journals, book chapters and conference proceedings.