Photosynthesis, Global Warming, and Plants. Chapter One.

 I originally conceived the idea that in order for me to explain in conversant phraseology it is necessary to explaining each step of an extremely important and complex process. In an effort to do so I will try to break it down into generally understood idea because most people are not familiar with certain types of scientific languages, so to speak. So here is an attempt to cover some of these ideas. Photosynthesis; In my mind, I consider this to be one of the most important miracles to ever take place on this planet. What is more important s that it didn't just happen once and then retire, it is happening on an ongoing basis. Our existence depends on it. Of course it isn't the only factor of our existence, but the key factor. Without Photosynthesis, essentially nothing happens as far as plant and animal life is concerned. So just what is Photosynthesis? In simple terms it is the conversion of light energy into chemical energy and the processes used to store that converted chemical energy. So the idea here is that the sun shines, then that energy is converted to chemicals to be used for life. This energy is stored for later use by plants to be used in various processes. Then these processes will use chemicals to make certain activities evolve. Overall C02 is taken in and in the end Oxygen is produced, well, along with other chemicals and these chemicals are used in the many activities that is operated by Nature. The whole Oxygen thing is simply a waste product of this whole deal. Oxygen is used as part of many life processes but most importantly Oxygen is vital to us as animal life forms. Plants don't need oxygen. They need C02, as C02 is essentially what plants use to sustain life as we use Oxygen to sustain life. Plants do use Oxygen in the root system to feed the microbes, but then hey, they are a in a general sense, an animal life form that needs Oxygen to survive. Just to clear up a point here, there have been some life forms discovered that do not use Photosynthesis to live. These are primitive life forms, much like what existed in the early development processes of this planet. So keep in mind that we are talking about present life forms and functioning on the levels that we do as of present time and looking forward in time in some cases. One of the big political hot potatoes in today's world is the whole Global Warming idea and the Greenhouse Gases that are associated with it. I really should say "Climate Change". It used to be called Global Warming, but that soon fell from favor, and I am sure it will go through future names changes. So to be safe we will just use the original name and let the reader deal with whatever name it has currently evolved into as they read this chapter. I happen to be one, so as to confirm my bias, one that sees the whole C02 issue being taken care of by Nature on an ongoing basis. Nature is always, in it's own unique ways, to balance the scales any time anything under it's control, well, out of control. Nature appears to be very jealous of it's natural balance and will do or encourage in it's own way, a forcing of the balancing of the scales. However, I do not believe that we should ignore Nature and it's jealous attitude in going out of our way to cause an imbalance of the Natural cycles of life. Along these lines I have a saying that I like to remind people of at the right times, that being,"You can't violate the laws of Nature and get away with it". So I say, Hey, let's just accept the laws of Nature and work with those laws and not work contrarian to them. Simply put, Nature is taking care of the Global Warming issue, plain and simple. Now let's get back to the topic of how this Photosynthesis works through plants. On a number of occasions I have mentioned the idea of C-4, C-3, and CAM type of plants in various discussions. This is important because it helps us to understand how these plants, at least presently understood, converts Sunlight Energy into Chemical Energy. The "C" part sort of represents the idea of how Carbon is used in the conversion of C02 into chemicals such as Oxygen. This is the process of how the C02 out there is broken down and used in the natural processes of this planet's activities. The CAM abbreviation stands for a process called "Crassulacean Acid Metabolism". These types of plants basically has a major aspect of their activities taking place under conditions opposite of the C-3 and C-4 plants activities. Most of these plants have leaves that are of the succulent type. Plants such as Cactus plants and many types of plants like them and are generally found in dry desert conditions. The key point in all of this is when the Stomata makes it appearance to take in C02, which takes place at night. These plants do it this way in order to conserve moisture. So these plants take in the C02 at night and through their leaves release Oxygen during the day. It is estimated that about 3% of the world plants as of the CAM types, which amounts to maybe, by some accounts that number is somewhere in the more or less 16,000 range. When it comes to the C-4 plants, we see a very interesting set of activities taking place. These plants really produce more sugar, takes in more C02 and stores more Carbon as the temperature rises. So the hotter it gets, the better these plants do, as a general rule. There is a limit on that "hot" end. Since we have danced around the technical aspect of the whole idea with this chapter, lets take this in a different direction so as o get a clearer understanding of the idea. Global Warming has everything to do with Carbon Sequestration. Photosynthesis is simply the conversion of C02 into Sugars for the plant to survive on. What happens when all of this takes place is the breaking down of C02 into Carbon as a base element for sugar production for nutrition at the root level of the plant. Of course in this process we see Oxygen, as previously mentioned being a waste product of this process, IE; Oxygen is the waste product, IE; the trash of the process. So in the process of the C02 levels on the rise, nature in it's wisdom took this into account and has developed various types of plants to take care of this deal. I feel like this is a good place to wrap this chapter up and take the discussion into the next chapter. In the next chapter I will go into detail of how each plant type works as to balancing out this warming or even cooling in a natural process. In short, if we didn't have high levels of C02, as happened at one time in history, we wouldn't have Oxygen. Oxygen is vital for our lives. As C02 rise, we will see Oxygen levels rise, it doesn't work the other way around. As the temperature rises, more pants will adapt to functioning as a C-4 type plant, more C02 is taken in by these plants and more Oxygen will be produced and all we have to do is let the plants do their thing. Then eventually, as equilibrium sets in, then a balancing will take place and all of these levels will, as it is said, will balance out and all will be as nature directs the balance to be. So lets end this chapter and get ready for chapter two.

End of Chapter One.