What are some environmental issues that are becoming very important in today's world as they may pertain to photosynthesis or life in general?
1 Answer
Global climate change is having a major impact on life and in particular, photosynthesis.
Explanation:
Global warming, coupled with other human activities is leading to what some scientists call "the 6th great extinction event". There have been 5 other major species extinction events in the past, and humans are now causing the 6th.
More specifically, humans are cutting down huge swaths of forests for agriculture or lumber, especially in tropical forest regions of Brazil and Indonesia. These great rainforests are literally one of the "lungs of the planet" that absorb CO2 but also provide oxygen for the world through photosynthesis. This is also making global warming worse as forests are often burned, which releases CO2 back in the atmosphere making the greenhouse effect stronger.
Global warming is also transferring heat to the oceans and this is causing them to heat up. Excess CO2 is also being transferred from the atmosphere to the oceans and this is causing the oceans to become more acidic. These factors are now causing phytoplankton to die off in the oceans and phytoplankton are also photosynthetic oxygen producers.
