Study: Global warming sparked by ancient farming methods

cnn.com ^ | August 18, 2009 | Shelby Lin Erdman

[Sherman Logan]

It’s pretty well known that most primitive peoples set fire to the forests on a regular basis, and it wasn’t primarily for agricultural purposes.

The book 1491 shows how Indians in the Americas had been routinely burning the land for over ten thousand years, to the extent that a different ecology had developed. When this routine burning was withdrawn as a result of the 95% die-off in Indian populations during the 16th century caused by the merging of the American and Afro-Eurasian disease ecologies, massive changes occurred to the environment of the Americas.

The “natural wilderness” seen in most areas by the first white explorers had little in common with what had existed for many thousands of years before this die-off.

[Sherman Logan]

Actually, trees (and other plants) take in CO2 and give off oxygen.

[ThanhPhero]

Trees take in CO2 when alive and release CO@ when they are rotting dead.

[nomorelurker]

Be carefull there. You have just stated a human caused event. It may have have nothing to do with global warming but others might not see it that way.

don't you know the Amerindians lived in a pristine paradise unspoiled. SARC

[edcoil]

The American Indian owes everyone living here today restitution for their burning of the land to cause buffalo stampedes for hunting.

They destroyed millions of acres, caused global warming and owe us a ride - now it’s their turn.

[SuzyQue]

Well, duh. I know that. I should think BEFORE I type.

[ApplegateRanch]

Actually, they do both.

They ‘exhale’ O^2 during daylight; CO^2 at night. Generally, the younger they are, the greater the disparity between the two processes, though it “always” favors net O^2 production, while alive.

Living trees also contribute huge amounts of methane to the atmosphere; estimates range anywhere from 10% to 30% of annual atmospheric methane emissions.

[coconutt2000]

Thank you. I was wondering if anyone was going to post the general facts on plant CO2 and O2 production.

[Sherman Logan]

You are correct. I was referring to net effects.

[jwalsh07]

Satire, right?

[Sherman Logan]

The book I mentioned was specifically written to refute that theory. In the author’s opinion, with which I agree, it degrades American Indians from humans to a species of wildlife that doesn’t impact the “natural environment” because they are part of it, unlike the rest of us who are somehow “non-natural.”

[A message]

Dam* those city dwelling, cuneiform writing, farming Sumerians. /s

[Berosus]

The author of that article needs a refresher course in math. I have heard there were 5-6 million people living 5,000 years ago. For them to have as much effect on the environment as today’s population, they would have to practice 1,000 times as much deforestation, not 10 times.

[Reeses]

Thanks for bringing that up about the American Indians using fire so much. I found this website that suggests a list of reasons: http://www.wildlandfire.com/docs/biblio_indianfire.htm Surprisingly, one of the reasons was weather control, a technology we've forgotten about. I noticed after a hot summer wildfire in Southern California the smoke caused overcast clouds that cooled a huge swath of the LA area. It was about 15 degrees cooler than before the fire. The savings in air conditioning costs might have more than offset any damage costs from the fire.

[BikerJoe]

More laughable nonsense paid for by we taxpayers.

Yeah. Just who the hell approves and funds these "studies" anyway?

[Waco]

Bullshite begets more bullshite.

[maryz]

since the beginnings of dry land vegetation . . .

. . . which there wouldn't have been any of in the first place without "greenhouse gases" (they call it "the greenhouse effect for a reason, ya know!) . . .

[wildbill]

They still use slash and burn farming in Mexico and sometimes there is enough smoke in the atmosphere that it is visible in Texas when the wind is right and carries it north.

[colorado tanker]

Are these people willfully ignorant???

The earth began warming after the last glacial cycle and, later, from the Younger Dryas, thousand of years before the advent of agriculture. Unfriggingbelieveable.

[CaptRon]

They just have to find some way to blame it on Humans.

2 or 3 daya ago I read an aritlce, I think it was a Drudge Headline, where it was announced the Richard Lindzer of MIT was about to publish a study which debunks the CO2 myth once and for all. Been searching but can't find it.