Climate Change Is Confusing Trees

Trees are one of the most important features of our environment. They provide us with oxygen and assist in removing the pollutant carbon dioxide from the air. Lately, research has suggested that trees may be becoming confused due to the rising temperatures of the Earth fueled by climate change.

Global warming is a man-made phenomenon in which the burning of fossil fuels produces heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere and amplifies the absorption of sunlight and solar radiation that would otherwise escape into space. This phenomenon contributes to the gradual heating of the entire planet, also known as climate change. Some researchers believe that this increase in temperature leads to trees and other plants blooming at the wrong times or, in other words, becoming confused. For example, certain research describes trees blooming two to three weeks earlier than usual. Earlier blooming could potentially cause problems for the plants, such as the inability to adapt to cold waves. Drastic fluctuations in winter weather may have a negative impact on plants as they are unable to adjust to the rapid change in temperature. As a result, a cold wave after early blooms can cause the saplings to die out, just after they sprout.

Since plants reproduce by flowering, a long winter is needed in order to prepare them for the flowering stage. If global warming continues, winter seasons will become shorter and shorter until they are barely recognizable. If trees do not have a sufficient dormant period, they may not be able to flower and continue to reproduce. Furthermore, trees that do not experience this dormant period have an exceedingly shortened lifespan. These factors could potentially contribute to the endangerment of trees and other plants, which would be disastrous for humans as well as other animals.

Although the research is not confirmed yet, confused trees is a new theory that has the potential to change the way that we think about global warming. There is still a lot of controversy over this topic, and scientists are running more investigations regarding earlier blooms.

Without trees, we humans would not be alive. This means the least we can do, in turn, is to help the trees survive. Whether or not trees are actually becoming confused, it is important to protect the Earth and slow climate change as much as possible to prevent events this dire from happening in the future.