{"id":386430,"date":"2025-07-02T17:40:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T15:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=386430"},"modified":"2025-07-02T17:40:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T15:40:08","slug":"co2-sustains-greenhouse-farming-revolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=386430","title":{"rendered":"CO2 Sustains Greenhouse Farming Revolution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Vijay Jayaraj<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The world would be safer if industrial emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2<\/sub>) were stopped, according to the teachings of many schools, the regulatory schemes of some governments and the hyperbolic public relations campaigns of a climate industrial complex. But the truth is happier: CO2<\/sub> is an irreplaceable plant food that is increasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carbon dioxide \u2013 the gas branded as public enemy number one \u2013 is not destroying the planet. It\u2019s enhancing life on it. Across the globe, elevated CO2<\/sub> levels are supercharging plant growth and delivering bountiful crop harvests at unprecedented rates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why does this matter? Because future generations could benefit from rejecting the hysteria and embracing common sense and well-established facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the start of the 20th century, atmospheric CO2<\/sub> has risen from around 300 parts per million (ppm) to over 420 ppm. If you believe some headlines, this is tantamount to a death sentence. But if you\u2019re a farmer \u2013 or a scientist focused on plant physiology \u2013 this increase looks like a gift. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies show that crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and grains grow faster and yield more under higher CO2<\/sub> concentrations. This phenomena has been verified by observations of plants in the world at large and in controlled environments over many decades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People taking advantage of this knowledge have contributed to an agricultural revolution. From Israel\u2019s Negev Desert to Kenya\u2019s Rift Valley, farmers are proving that CO2<\/sub> is not a villain but an ally in feeding a growing population. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenhouse Boom: Food Where There Was None<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenhouse farming employs tent-like structures with controlled environments to grow crops. Unlike open-field agriculture, which is susceptible to the risks of weather and pests, greenhouses provide stable ecosystems that extend growing seasons and manage lighting and temperature. In addition, greenhouses can artificially elevate CO2<\/sub> to levels two or three time higher than ambient atmospheric concentrations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These farmers achieve what nature cannot \u2013 predictable, abundant harvests in deserts, tundra and urban sprawl. The benefits include lower water use, reduced reliance on pesticides, year-round production and higher yields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a study, researchers assessed<\/a> the proliferation of greenhouse farming in 119 countries, including 22 in Africa. Greenhouses now cover more than 5,000 square miles<\/a> of land worldwide, 40 times the agricultural area under cover four decades ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China has 60% of the world\u2019s greenhouse farms. Some of the largest<\/a> are in Weifang, China, (82,155 hectares) and Almeria, Spain (35,117 hectares). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CO2<\/sub>-enriched greenhouses now supply a significant portion of urban vegetable demand in China, a country once plagued by food shortages<\/a> and famine. \u201cRice, cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes provide off-season supply to the whole country,\u201d says Chinese researcher Xiaoye Tong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Hotan Prefecture of the Xinjiang desert, farmers grow tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons in greenhouses having CO2<\/sub> levels up to 1,200 ppm, triple the outdoor concentration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenhouses in this region have enabled the development of fast-breeding rice, reducing the growth cycle to just 75 days<\/a> by leveraging vertical soil-less cultivation and artificial light control. The Desert Greenhouse Project in Xinjiang\u2019s Shawan Oasis has over 2,100 units that can produce annually about 19,000 tons of vegetables and fruits in more than 30 varieties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe rate of expansion is the most dramatic in China, but the increase is a global phenomenon,\u201d says Tong. For example, India\u2019s greenhouse horticultural sector is growing by more than 6% annually. India\u2019s government is fueling this growth through subsidies under the National Horticulture Mission, which covers up to 50% of setup costs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Metrolina Greenhouses in Huntersville, North Carolina, consists of 8 million square feet of heated indoor growing space, making it the largest single-site, heated greenhouse in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Spain, Novagric built the largest single-module greenhouses that cultivate high-yield tomato plants. Production rose from 21 kilograms of tomatoes per square meter to a record 30 kilograms of cherry tomatoes, and the yield is expected to continue rising. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t need a Ph.D. to see through the haze. Ask yourself: If CO2<\/sub> is so harmful, why do farmers pump it into greenhouses? Why are crop yields breaking records as CO2<\/sub> levels rise? The answers are in biology, not ideology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plants evolved when CO2<\/sub> levels were five times higher than today. CO2<\/sub> emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are restoring the carbon dioxide that was removed from the atmosphere when coal, oil and natural gas were formed from the remains of flora and fauna in swamps and seas millions of years ago. A deficiency of atmospheric carbon dioxide is being rectified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, greenhouse farming, fueled by this life-giving molecule, will be part of a promising future free of hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vijay Jayaraj<\/a> is a Science and Research Associate at the <\/em>CO2<\/sub> Coalition<\/em><\/a>, Fairfax, Virginia. He <\/em>holds an M.S. in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia and a postgraduate degree in energy management from Robert Gordon University, both in the U.K., and a bachelor\u2019s in engineering from Anna University, India.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The world would be safer if industrial emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) were stopped, according to the teachings of many schools, the regulatory schemes of some governments and the hyperbolic public relations campaigns of a climate industrial complex. But the truth is happier: CO2 is an irreplaceable plant food that is increasing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":386432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691836283,691829997,691836284,691821868,691824761],"class_list":{"0":"post-386430","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-agricultural-revolution","9":"tag-carbon-dioxide-co","10":"tag-greenhouse-farming","11":"tag-plant-food","12":"tag-plant-growth","14":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0IMG_4197-1440x960-1.jpg?fit=1440%2C960&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1CwK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":343896,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=343896","url_meta":{"origin":386430,"position":0},"title":"Human CO2 Emissions Are Supercharging Corn Yields","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"21\/09\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"How can carbon dioxide, which has been portrayed as a dangerous pollutant threatening the very existence of humankind, be considered even remotely beneficial?\u00a0\u00a0Sadly, such a question can be expected from people \u2013 children and adults \u2013 who have been fed irrational fears in place of well-established science that shows CO2\u00a0to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"carbon dioxide (CO2)\"","block_context":{"text":"carbon dioxide (CO2)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=carbon-dioxide-co2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Corn_phot-cred-adboe-stock_E.jpg?fit=1080%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Corn_phot-cred-adboe-stock_E.jpg?fit=1080%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Corn_phot-cred-adboe-stock_E.jpg?fit=1080%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Corn_phot-cred-adboe-stock_E.jpg?fit=1080%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Corn_phot-cred-adboe-stock_E.jpg?fit=1080%2C720&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":360239,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=360239","url_meta":{"origin":386430,"position":1},"title":"New Year\u2019s Resolution to Embrace CO2 Emissions and Benefits","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/01\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Scientific advancement and agricultural technology have revolutionized food production, enabling humanity to feed more readily a ballooning population. 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