Global warming warning! Be on the alert for the attack of the invasive weeds!
This is the latest in a long series of the possible consequences of supposed global warming. The dire scenario is set forth in a San Francisco Chronicle story by Joe Eaton and Ron Sullivan:
For educational purposes, the California Invasive Plants Council will sell you bouquets of plastic weeds, including yellow star thistle, tamarisk, leafy spurge and knapweed. Some recent studies suggest that many gardeners need not invest in these because they can expect more of the real thing to arrive as climate change advances.
Oh goody! I no longer need to shell out big bucks for those all-important plastic weeds. All I need do is wait for global warming to produce them naturally.
A warmer world will have more atmospheric carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. UC Irvine's Diane Pataki says nitrous oxide has 300 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide per molecule. It's released when soil bacteria covert ammonium to nitrite.
Weeds from warm climates are poised to claim new turf as temperatures increase.
Using each weed's preferred habitat characteristics and a scenario in which fossil fuel emissions are not reduced, Bradley and her colleagues created an invasion risk map for each weed.
Their results were mixed. The bad news for California: yellow star thistle will keep its current range and probably spread farther here and in Nevada. Tamarisk, an exotic tree that sucks wildland creeks dry, will neither gain nor lose in a warmer West. The largest effects the Princeton group predicted were for cheatgrass and leafy spurge, which will shift their ranges north, and spotted knapweed, which will move to higher elevations.
Climate change is a moving target, and some effects could turn out to be stronger than the models account for. There's also no foolproof way to identify which plants will become invasives. But with weeds moving both in from wildlands and out into them, it's safe to say that weed control will still be on every thoughtful gardener's agenda.
—P.J. Gladnick is a freelance writer and creator of the DUmmie FUnnies blog.



















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Aha! A new villain. Nitrous
August 15, 2009 - 08:21 ET by sevenAha! A new villain. Nitrous oxide
Nitrogen is 78% of the atmosphere.
Plastic plants are an ignorant use of fossil fuels to make plastic. Real plants use CO2.
Not to be confused with the
August 15, 2009 - 08:29 ET by Roger the ShrubberNot to be confused with the California Council of Invasive Plants or the Invasive Plants Council of California. Splitters!
Visit The Daily Wave
Yeah!
August 15, 2009 - 08:37 ET by heldmywAnd BOTH the CCIP and the IPCC and their filthy "soft on spurge" propaganda make me sick.
It's tough to be a Roman.
Screw the leafy spurge...
August 15, 2009 - 08:29 ET by SickofLibs... what about the unprecedented massive jerkweed invasion of the District of Columbia?
The whole time I thought
August 15, 2009 - 08:39 ET by ricklailThe whole time I thought the weeds were because of all the rain we have received this summer here in eastern NC. Our bill for Pramatol has doubled.
Semper suprene nitens
OBAMACARE: If it ain't good enough for my Congressman then it ain't good enough for me.
Killer Clamatoes
August 15, 2009 - 08:43 ET by P.J. GladnickJust a thought here but if the Killer Tomatoes ever meet up with the Giant Clams would union result in a movie called "Attack of the Killer Clamatoes!"
What is the carbon footprint
August 15, 2009 - 08:57 ET by kefkaWhat is the carbon footprint for making these plastic weeds? It can't be a looming catastrophe if the plastic weed factories are still working at 100%.
Lighting Strikes Twice
August 15, 2009 - 09:07 ET by CobraMan"Diane Pataki says nitrous oxide has 300 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide per molecule."
Not to worry as Global Warming is supposed to increase violent weather, which means more lighting. Due to its massive current and extremely high temperatures, lightning breaks the bonds between oxygen (Good for Us!) and nitrogen in NO2 (nitrous oxide) and "fixes" that newly freed nitrogen into the soil, thus reversing the warming effects of increased NO2 production AND boosting plant growth (like our food!), which, in turn, reduces atmospheric CO2. So, the net effect? Zero Global Warming! (That's why we called it a DYNAMIC system, Liberals!)
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
Tamarisk trees
August 15, 2009 - 09:12 ET by zoro7957Fox news did a report a couple months ago about this noxious,invasive species. Seems as though they are choking the waterways of Nevada,thus prohibiting much needed irrigation systems.Why not just cut them down?......Because .......you got it!.........a certain species of birds nest in them! Ya gotta love it!
Talk about invasive species!
August 15, 2009 - 09:25 ET by CobraManTalk about invasive species! Our neighborhood (hell, the entire city of Minneapolis!) is under attack by Creeping Charlie, an extremely invasive species imported from Europe, which is killing off our grass. My neighbor's yard is infested with it. I've been fighting with that crap for years now, and I can guarantee you that Global Warming is not to blame as this weed has been spreading all across America for centuries. (I blame the French! They're the ones who thinks it makes great ground cover! I guess they don't like grass as it competes with Grape vines and we all know how much France loves their grapes!) Hay, France, keep your weeds out of our country, ok?
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
zoro, They the green know -it-alls, brought in some bug from
August 15, 2009 - 19:42 ET by upcountrywaterEgypt, where the tammy is from. It's working the bugs are killing off lots of them along the Colorado river in Utah.
Reagan VS Liberalism
Hysterical
August 15, 2009 - 09:22 ET by mjfitchThe psychosis of the human animal TOO FUNNY PJ.
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." -Winston Churchill
I was thinking the same thing fitch...
August 15, 2009 - 09:33 ET by BKeyserthe levels to which these scientists delve to try to prove their worthiness is both stunning, and bizarre.
<the levels to which these
August 16, 2009 - 00:41 ET by Seabeach4348<the levels to which these scientists delve to try to prove their worthiness is both stunning, and bizarre.>>
it's called being educated beyond one's ability, and it eventually begins to destroy brain cells.
Regarding the weeds: nothing that a little RoundOut can't handle.
What makes these people
August 16, 2009 - 01:31 ET by NL207What makes these people 'scientists'?
Stopping Invasive Vegitation in its Tracks
August 15, 2009 - 11:12 ET by FeynmanFanWant to stop invasive vegitation in its tracks? Plant Kudzu. It'll overpower anything that gets in its way. ;)
yea got Kudzu,
August 16, 2009 - 20:56 ET by upcountrywaterhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiYrqucl2vg
its PETA ready..
Reagan VS Liberalism
→ Kudzu
August 16, 2009 - 21:01 ET by Cool ArrowIf only it were a decent source of energy.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
Cool, How dare you suggest burning!
August 16, 2009 - 21:38 ET by upcountrywaterMaybe clone the purple flowers into this.
Thereby saving the sacred Kilowatts..
PETA people are very tender, pesky invasive species.
Reagan VS Liberalism
I came across a couple of articles on climate change that might
August 15, 2009 - 11:45 ET by Rush Faninterest some of you.
The Wall Street Journals' Kimberley Strassel wrote an article titled: The Climate Change Climate Change. The article begins with:
Matt Drudge has a link today to a piece titled: Debunking 'climate change myths' that begins with:
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"They support fakes, they nominate fakes, they promote and market fakes, and they look at real stories and condemn them as fakes." ~ Rush Limbaugh on Democrats, Liberals and the Drive-By Media
The California Invasive Plants Council?
August 15, 2009 - 13:35 ET by BondPlainBondYou have GOT to be kidding.
Is there a California Crooked Manhole Cover Council, too?
Which makes me wonder why
August 17, 2009 - 18:35 ET by deerjerkydaveWhich makes me wonder why California is out of money? How much are these council members paid?
Yeah, but you can't eat
August 15, 2009 - 14:54 ET by RR GOPYeah, but you can't eat plastic when the SHTF. At least you can eat dandelions.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 86% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.
Whew! A global
August 15, 2009 - 16:04 ET by Chris NormanWhew! A global warming claim just in time! I hadn't seen a silly claim here for quite a while and was getting worried that something might have happened to these anti-capitalist nuts...
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
You'd think the the Land of
August 15, 2009 - 16:08 ET by QueenMumYou'd think the the Land of Fruits and Nuts would be delighted to learn that weed is going to be growing wild and out of control.
"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out
of other people's money."
—Margaret Thatcher
...Whenever you read or
August 15, 2009 - 17:42 ET by hwm98264...Whenever you read or watch on TV articles/stories (such as this Invasive Weeds article) on the POTENTIAL disasters resulting from Global Warming or Climate Change, ignore them, because they are purely false speculations meant to scare you and intimidate you to support a “Green” future; which has nothing to do with true energy efficiency. Efficiency is OK if that is what you desire, but “Green” is not going to give it to you because green energy cannot exist without huge taxpayer subsidies. /...The current cap-and-trade climate energy bill (CO2 Caused Global Warming) is one of the greatest frauds ever foisted on the American Citizens.
Of course....
August 20, 2009 - 17:27 ET by sharkibarkIt *must* be global warming that's causing the weeds.
It *can't* be that my local government banned personal use pesticides, including weed killer - that's just nuts!