Farmers Could Cool The Planet Down

In the mid-late eighteenth century the city of Salford became the world’s first industrialised city sparking the industrial revolution that changed the world forever.

Since then global temperatures have risen by an average of 0.7 degrees, a small but incredibly significant figure.

This figure will continue to rise causing ever more serious problems for the planet

Now scientists working at Bristol University believe that they may have a natural solution that could possibly help to turn back temperatures slightly and help to curb the ever increasing temperature rise.

Their solution is rather simple; they say we need to plant crops that will help to reflect sunlight.

If we were to do this in Europe and North America alone, the reduction in temperature would be 20% of the increase we have suffered since Salford moved us into the industrial age.

According to Bristol University’s Dr Andy Ridgwell and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the rate of increase in temperatures is accelerating and 90 years from now it may be as much as 4° C warmer than it was just 20 years ago.

According to the scientists, changing farming patterns is probably the only way to significantly reduce the average temperature and in addition it should have zero ill effects on the planet and the climate.

All the other research into lowering temperatures is aimed at technological solutions such as the construction of giant screens that would hover in space reflecting back some of the sunlight and even giant aerosols pumping huge amounts of “good” gases into the atmosphere.

Dr Ridgwell says that all we need to do is plant crops that have leaves that are highly reflective, and these would be capable of pushing back the solar rays.

Many crops currently farmed do the opposite by absorbing the solar energy.

One drawback to the plan is that it is believed the effects will only be significant in Europe and North America.

Asia, during the main growing season, is cloud covered, reflecting back a large amount of the sunlight so that it would not reach the leaves on the ground below.

Another drawback is that scientists have not yet resolved exactly which plants would be the most effective.

If the plants that could do most good are not financially viable for farmers then it is hard to see how such a project could take off.

However, Dr Ridgwell is confident that his research will bring about a compromise range of crops that will be effective sunscreens while at the same time having financial viability for farmers.