Destruction of Earth's Plants May Place Humans at Risk

First Posted: Jul 15, 2015 10:40 AM EDT

The destruction of Earth's plants may be placing humans in danger. Scientists have discovered that unless humans slow the devastation of our planet's plant life, then we may just face major repercussions.

"You can think of the Earth like a battery that has been charged very slowly over billions of years," said John Schramski, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The sun's energy is stored in planets and fossil fuels, but humans are draining energy much faster than it can be replenished."

Earth was once barren. Only after billions of years of simple organizing colonizing the planet did they evolve the ability to transform light into energy. This led to an explosion of plant and animal life to create the planet that we know today.

This latest study is grounded in the fundamental principles of thermodynamics. Chemical energy is stored in plants, or biomass, which is used for food and fuel. However, it's also destroyed to make room for agriculture and cities.

The researchers actually showed that the vast majority of losses come from deforestation. This is hastened by the advent of large-scale mechanized farming and the need to feed a rapidly growing population. As more biomass is destroyed, the planet has less stored energy, which it needs to maintain Earth's complex food webs and biogeochemical balances.

"I'm not an ardent environmentalist; my training and my scientific work are rooted in thermodynamics," said Schramski. "These laws are absolute and incontrovertible; we have a limited amount of biomass energy available on the planet, and once it's exhausted, there is absolutely nothing to replace it."

The findings reveal a bit more about our planet and show the importance of preserving plant biomass.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.