Impacts of Climate Change on Plant Growth: Implications for Policy and Research

Plant growth is heavily facilitated by the extent to which many interacting climate variables remain within appropriate conditions. The Ongoing global climatic change can significantly alter conditions for plant growth, in turn upsetting ecological and social systems. While there have been substantial developments in understanding the physical features of climate change, complete studies incorporating climate, biological, and social sciences are less common. This paper used climate projections under alternative mitigation situations to show how changes in environmental variables that limit plant growth could influence ecosystems, research, policies and humans. Results showed multiple climate variables becoming limiting for plant growth, particularly in tropical areas, which resulted in considerable reductions in plant yields. Furthermore, the paper posited that reductions in plant growth due to unsuitable growing days can lead to less suitable condition for plant growth and tree mortality can trigger ecological responses, including changes in plant community composition. The paper concludes by recommending that afforestation programs should be vigorously pursued.