As most gardeners are aware, trees are responsible for turning our polluted breathing space back into oxygen to replenish our air stocks. They inhale CO2 and exhale O2 which is the complete opposite of homo sapiens. So, in a balanced world trees make sense.

However, it seems that their task on regenerating life is failing. Reports have indicated a recent surge in greenhouse gases has not come from industry or personal misuse but rather from trees and plants finding that they are unable to cope with global warming. They are not absorbing the amounts of pollution they once could.

Up until now the environment has been able to account for at least half of all human pollution.

While this predicament is an alarming one Treehugger reader noted that it may have little to do with the amount of pollution and more to do with a lack in rainfall. Given that climate change occurs randomly, this phenomena may be just that.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out over the next decade as scientists continue to gauge the effects of our polluting lifestyles. Their fears are that unless major change happens within the next 10 years, the damage will become irreversible.