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Grazing musk oxen and caribou in the arctic are good for the environment. Unless they’re bad for it…

So we all know that the variables shaping the global warming debate are complex, nuanced and sometimes confusing. Right? We take this as matter-of-course, and accept that debate and confusion are part of the discovery process. Correct?

But shouldn’t we be able to discern whether grass chewing Musk Oxen in the arctic are either good or bad for global warming? Does everything have to be confusing? Apparently, yes.

Check out these two headlines -
Both published within the past 24 hours and both referencing the same study:

National Geographic:
Hungry Musk-Oxen, Caribou Could Help Warming Arctic
Grazing musk-oxen and caribou may help protect the fragile Arctic ecosystem from the effects of global warming, according to a new study.

The Vancouver Sun:
Grazers may speed climate change
Muskox, caribou eating up Arctic shrubs that absorb carbon dioxide.

Both articles point to an increasing number of ‘woody shrubs’ in place of grasslands in the arctic as a result of global warming. And both discuss grazing animals’ ability to limit the growth of the woody shrubs, since their grazing inhibits the shrubs ability to take root. But that’s where the articles diverge.

The Vancouver Sun concludes the woody shrubs would consume more CO2 and help slow global warming – hence, bad musk ox. While National Geographic says, “if shrubs dominated, they would darken Arctic lands and absorb more heat from the sun, enhancing warming due to greenhouse gases” – ergo good musk ox.

I’ll go out on a limb and say that National Geo isn’t in the back pocket of the musk ox lobby, and The Vancouver Sun isn’t a band of caribou haters - though maybe they both are. If not, this disagreement strikes me as genuine confusion, and although it’s nice to see some ‘confusion’ that isn’t likely due to some kind of ‘influence’, these pieces are also depressing.

After all, in the grand green debate this strikes me as a reasonably simple issue – and if folks can’t figure this one out, how likely are we to solve some of the more complicated ones.

Like say, the one about musk oxen causing more intense hurricanes…

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