Scientific American: Plants Don’t Like Greenhouse Effect Annotated

Fossil remains indicate that insects actually eat more plant material when the planet is warmer. Karen Hopkin reports.

According to a new study, published in the February 12 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…

plants, too, are likely to face problems as the earth heats up. And their biggest problem is likely to be: insects.

Seems that with more CO2 in the atmosphere, plants take up more carbon. That actually makes their leaves less nutritious for plant-munching bugs—so the insects just eat more. So, a warmer planet will be home to some hungry bugs. Which I daresay will not please the trees. Or anyone else who relies on plants for food—which includes, ultimately, all of us.