[MCN] All concerned need to be candid about this long expected risk

[Lance Olsen]

Science  17 Apr 2020:
Vol. 368, Issue 6488, pp. 261-266
DOI: 10.1126/SCIENCE.AAT7631

REVIEW
Hanging by a thread? Forests and drought
Timothy J. Brodribb1 <https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6488/261#aff-1>,* <https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6488/261#corresp-1>, Jennifer Powers2 <https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6488/261#aff-2>, Hervé Cochard3 <https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6488/261#aff-3>, Brendan Choat4 <https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6488/261#aff-4>
Abstract
Trees are the living foundations on which most terrestrial biodiversity is built. Central to the success of trees are their woody bodies, which connect their elevated photosynthetic canopies with the essential belowground activities of water and nutrient acquisition. The slow construction of these carbon-dense, woody skeletons leads to a slow generation time, leaving trees and forests highly susceptible to rapid changes in climate. Other long-lived, sessile organisms such as corals appear to be poorly equipped to survive rapid changes, which raises questions about the vulnerability of contemporary forests to future climate change. The emerging view that, similar to corals, tree species have rather inflexible damage thresholds, particularly in terms of water stress, is especially concerning. This Review examines recent progress in our understanding of how the future looks for forests growing in a hotter and drier atmosphere.

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On August 21, 2009, The Wall Street Journal reported that “…many scientists say deep emissions cuts are necessary … to prevent … dangerous consequences of global warming,” and concluded that,  "Getting from here to there would require a massive economic shift.”

There’s likely been no better summary of the Green New Deal’s basic rationale. In just these few words, the Journal pointed directly to a dangerous trend, identified how to turn it around, and did that 10 years before the Sunrise Movement caught the attention of newly elected US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

<<https://mountainjournal.org/green-new-deal-faces-uphill-fight-in-wyoming-and-montana-coal-country <https://mountainjournal.org/green-new-deal-faces-uphill-fight-in-wyoming-and-montana-coal-country>>>

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