Satellite views of the Midwestern United States show that ozone levels above 50 parts per billion (ppb) along the ground could reduce soybean yields by at least 10 percent, costing more than $1 billion in lost crop production, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.
But without examining the merits of the study (e.g., not sure how satellites can be used to predict crop yields and prices), reducing ground-level ozone below 50 ppb would be prohibitively expensive. For example, the EPA’s pending move to tighten the ozone standard to between 60-70 ppb is estimated to cost $1 trillion (i.e., a lot more than $1 billion) annually in compliance costs.
Does the article say that the projected damage to soybeans is based on tests that were performed in a controlled atmosphere that is modeled on a projected climate for 2050? Why are we paying for this crap? bill
Ozone is really hurting crop production. Scarcity of crop production is badly effecting the life of humans. Some changes in the ozone layer is also due to the bad research of scientist. It is big issue facing by the world at present.
The simple truth is that all these ‘so called’ scientists are doing just that – trying to circumvent natural phenomena. e.g any sensible person observing the changes in climate as best they have been recorded would quickly come to the sane conclusion that ‘change’ is a fact of life and even if man was not present on this earth those changes would continue regardless. I can understand why some are very suspicious of many ‘so called’ educated’ people, since it is they that people listen to no matter the quality of the garbage they more than often often espouse
I have this gut feeling that experiments are performed with ozone concentrations of 300 ppm and the resulting loss in crop performance recorded. The results are then linearly extrapolated down to zero ppm ozone to come up with a loss of ten percent plant growth at 50 ppm ozone. This is the linear, no threshold technique to make anything look dangerous to society.
If you drink 10 gallons of water in ten minues, it will kill you. If you give one ounce of water to 1280 people you will have one death due to drinking water.
Isn’t 50 ppm ozone the natural level of this gas. Lightning produces ozone. Is the EPA trying to overturn natural events?