Those who argue that increasing carbon dioxide is good because it's "plant food" should consider this article from the WSJ about poison ivy. It says:
Poison ivy, the scourge of summer campers, hikers and gardeners, is getting worse.
New research shows the rash-inducing plant appears to be growing faster and producing more potent oil compared with earlier decades. The reason? Rising ambient carbon-dioxide levels create ideal conditions for the plant, producing bigger leaves, faster growth, hardier plants and oil that's even more irritating.
Although the data on poison ivy come from controlled studies, they suggest the vexing plant is more ubiquitous than ever. And the more-potent oil produced by the plants may result in itchier rashes. "If it's producing a more virulent form of the oil, then even a small or more casual contact will result in a rash," says Lewis Ziska, a plant physiologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Md.
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Trebuchet Posted 4:35 am
27 Jun 2007
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caniscandida Posted 6:40 am
27 Jun 2007
My last bout was just last summer, after Little Dog took a romp in the further reaches of my parents' back yard, in south-eastern PA, then came into the house and leaped on my lap. The good news was, there was no sign that it affected her at all.
A number of years ago, at a garden-supply store, I bought a spray, no doubt toxic, and sprayed it on poison ivy plants in my parents' back yard (I had more leisure then to attend to their gardening). It worked very well: those things withered up rather quickly, and there was no awesome crater left behind. Still, I rather hope there is another, less toxic but equally effective means for getting rid of poison ivy, without actually diving in and going mano-a-ramo with it.
Chickens are our cousins!
So are other sensitive animals!
Enough is enough!
No more factory farms!
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