Over a quarter-century ago, Dr. Sherwood Idso stated in a small self-published book that if the airs CO2 content continued to rise, it would enhance plant growth and water use efficiency to the point that semi-arid lands not then suitable for cultivation could be brought into profitable production and that the deserts themselves could blossom as the rose. How is this prediction standing today?

If the earth continues to warm, will regional species richness increase or decrease?

Was there a Medieval Warm Period? YES, according to data published by 606 individual scientists from 357 separate research institutions in 38 different countries ... and counting! This issue's Medieval Warm Period Record of the Week comes from Dandak Cave, Kanger Valley National Park, Chhattisgarh, India.

How will they be affected by the nigh-unto-unstoppable rising atmospheric CO2 concentration and a possible resuming of global warming?

This week we add new results (blue background) of plant growth responses to atmospheric CO2 enrichment obtained from experiments described in the peer-reviewed scientific literature for: Japanese White Birch, Manchurian Alder (dry weight), Manchurian Alder (photosynthesis), and Monarch Birch.

How have they changed over the past quarter century?

How have they changed over the past quarter century?

Intersecting data from palaeoclimatology and anthropology tell an interesting story.

Can they occur rapidly enough to keep up with climate change?

Will rising temperatures enhance the phenomenon, thereby augmenting global warming?