Isn't using the Leaf really killing trees?

[DrRocket]

The display keeps showing how many trees using my Leaf has saved. But that doesn't make sense. Trees and plants "breathe" CO2 and animals and humans breathe oxygen.

So by not emitting any CO2 (and I have solar panels on the house), we are depriving trees of CO2--hence we are really killing the trees.

I want to share this with as many global warming koolaid drinkers as possible and watch their heads explode. :mrgreen:

 

[Volusiano]

Plants don't need as much CO2 as what we already put out there into the air. We're not starving plants at all by reducing the excess of CO2 generated.

 

[LEAFfan]

The display keeps showing how many trees using my Leaf has saved. But that doesn't make sense. Trees and plants "breathe" CO2 and animals and humans breathe oxygen.

Where did you get the idea that the 'tree' making display shows the number of trees saved? That's a new one for me! Those trees show how conservatively you are driving, nothing else. If you use a light foot, you will grow more trees. :mrgreen:

 

[bradleygibson]

Pretend the trees are polar bears.

 

[GeekEV]

The display keeps showing how many trees using my Leaf has saved. But that doesn't make sense. Trees and plants "breathe" CO2 and animals and humans breathe oxygen.

Where did you get the idea that the 'tree' making display shows the number of trees saved? That's a new one for me! Those trees show how conservatively you are driving, nothing else. If you use a light foot, you will grow more trees. :mrgreen:

I kinda thought that's what it meant at first too. As DrRocket pointed out, that doesn't make much sense. But no, it's just an arbitrary "eco driving" indicator that happens to look like trees. :lol:

 

[SparkyEV]

I don't know how it's calibrated, but I always took it to mean that the number of eco trees that you create corresponds to the amount of CO2 that you saved. In other words, if you saved 500lbs of CO2 (by not emitting it in the first place), you created enough virtual trees to absorb that much CO2.

 

[LEAFfan]

I don't know how it's calibrated, but I always took it to mean that the number of eco trees that you create corresponds to the amount of CO2 that you saved. In other words, if you saved 500lbs of CO2 (by not emitting it in the first place), you created enough virtual trees to absorb that much CO2.

No, it's what I previously said.

 

[rainnw]

It should grow polar bears.

Maybe start at the feet, then belly, arms (do polar bears have arms, or are they more feet?), and head, eyes, nose and ears....

then, when enough polar bears pop up on your dashboard, they all jump through the console, circle you and eat you.

Oh, and a poster on this board told me earlier that i should use the emotions on the left to indicate if i am serious or if this a humorous post. I pick this one: :?

 

[Nubo]

The display keeps showing how many trees using my Leaf has saved. But that doesn't make sense. Trees and plants "breathe" CO2 and animals and humans breathe oxygen.

So by not emitting any CO2 (and I have solar panels on the house), we are depriving trees of CO2--hence we are really killing the trees.

I want to share this with as many global warming koolaid drinkers as possible and watch their heads explode. :mrgreen:

No you aren't really killing the trees. Plants do consume CO2 but they'll be ok if you don't burn fossil fuels. On the other hand, trees do depend on climate. Global climate change could very well kill turn large areas of the planet into desert. So, yeah, saving trees may be exactly right. In any case, the trees are symbolic of the environment as a whole.

You're not going to explode any heads with flawed logic.

 

[Stoaty]

The display keeps showing how many trees using my Leaf has saved. But that doesn't make sense. Trees and plants "breathe" CO2 and animals and humans breathe oxygen.

So by not emitting any CO2 (and I have solar panels on the house), we are depriving trees of CO2--hence we are really killing the trees.

I want to share this with as many global warming koolaid drinkers as possible and watch their heads explode. :mrgreen:

Yes, our heads may explode if we haven't used Joe Romm's "head vise" to keep this kind of nonsense from blowing our minds. Try reading up on the science of climate change at:

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/issue/

or

http://www.skepticalscience.com/

Or you can go directly to the the basic link for "CO2 is plant food":

http://www.skepticalscience.com/co2-plant-food-basic.htm

or the advanced link for "CO2 is plant food":

http://www.skepticalscience.com/co2-plant-food-basic.htm

Of course, if your politics preclude you from understanding the science none of these links will be of any help.

 

[EricH]

then, when enough polar bears pop up on your dashboard, they all jump through the console, circle you and eat you.

Silly, polar bears hug you.... haven't you seen the Leaf ad?

 

[LEAFguy]

The display keeps showing how many trees using my Leaf has saved. But that doesn't make sense. Trees and plants "breathe" CO2 and animals and humans breathe oxygen.

So by not emitting any CO2 (and I have solar panels on the house), we are depriving trees of CO2--hence we are really killing the trees.

I want to share this with as many global warming koolaid drinkers as possible and watch their heads explode. :mrgreen:

The lack of humor appreciation on this board sometimes makes me wonder... :roll:

 

[DrRocket]

The display keeps showing how many trees using my Leaf has saved. But that doesn't make sense. Trees and plants "breathe" CO2 and animals and humans breathe oxygen.

So by not emitting any CO2 (and I have solar panels on the house), we are depriving trees of CO2--hence we are really killing the trees.

I want to share this with as many global warming koolaid drinkers as possible and watch their heads explode. :mrgreen:

The lack of humor appreciation on this board sometimes makes me wonder... :roll:

Finally! You must be English to have picked up on the subtlety.

 

[SteveInSeattle]

Yes, and kittens too!

 

[Nubo]

Never blame the audience for not getting your joke.

 

[KeithFrechette]

I totally got it. Of course, my sense of humor is somewhat "out there" to begin with.

Unfortunately I won't be able to start killing trees with a LEAF until September. In the mean time, I suppose I could stop communicating electronically and start using paper again!

 

[jaanton]

Science can be so difficult for the simple minded. As I recall some study say 15 years ago... The study was to see what plants benefit or suffer with an atmospheric increase in CO2. Basically the result was the fastest growing plants liked the increased CO2 which mostly was the weeds. Slower growing plants I believe were less strong, ie wood growing plants produced lower quality material.

So, We're still screwed with increased CO2.

(NOTE to administrators... I tried to use the Unicode lowered '2' character but that was rejected...)

 

[DrRocket]

Science can be so difficult for the simple minded. As I recall some study say 15 years ago... The study was to see what plants benefit or suffer with an atmospheric increase in CO2. Basically the result was the fastest growing plants liked the increased CO2 which mostly was the weeds. Slower growing plants I believe were less strong, ie wood growing plants produced lower quality material.

So, We're still screwed with increased CO2.

(NOTE to administrators... I tried to use the Unicode lowered '2' character but that was rejected...)

Sorry mate, no lowercase 2 until we all lower CO2. Until then, we all have to suffer a little.

 

[evnow]

The display keeps showing how many trees using my Leaf has saved. But that doesn't make sense. Trees and plants "breathe" CO2 and animals and humans breathe oxygen.

So by not emitting any CO2 (and I have solar panels on the house), we are depriving trees of CO2--hence we are really killing the trees.

I want to share this with as many global warming koolaid drinkers as possible and watch their heads explode. :mrgreen:

The lack of humor appreciation on this board sometimes makes me wonder... :roll:

Finally! You must be English to have picked up on the subtlety.

Humour works only when there is a grain of truth in what you say :lol:

 

[Smidge204]

Decreasing CO2 emissions only hurts plant growth if CO2 was the limiting factor. It's not... not by a long shot.

http://dge.stanford.edu/DGE/Dukes/JRGCE/ShawEtAl2002.pdf

In all tested cases where multiple variables are involved, increased CO2 actually retards plant growth compared with the other variable alone. With increased precipitation, excess CO2 actually reduces net plant growth. Just some "plant food" for thought.
=Smidge=