A new study led by Sterre F. ter Haar and her colleagues at Leiden University reveals shocking truths. They illustrate the harmful effects of higher carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels on food crops. Climate change increases the caloric content of staple crops with rising CO₂ concentrations, according to new research. The downside of this increase is that their nutritional value decreases. This study, published in the journal Global Change Biology, underscores the potential implications for global food security as CO₂ levels continue to rise.
Based on these trends, the researchers determined a baseline atmospheric CO₂ concentration of 350 parts per million (ppm) as their reference. In 2004, their modeling found significant devastating effects even from a projected increase to 550 ppm. There’s no question that this level is attainable — perhaps even within the lifetimes of everyone currently alive today. It’s now over 425 ppm CO₂. This unnaturally high level leads to fears about the long-term impact on the quality of our food.
Focus on Key Crops
Our research analyzed 43 diverse crops, including major food staples like rice, potatoes, tomatoes and wheat. These crops were selected because of their importance to global diets and agricultural production. These findings are especially alarming. Average nutrient levels in these staple crops are declining at a rate of about 4.4%. For others, the reduction is even more drastic, with declines as high as 38% for certain vitamins and minerals.
Ter Haar stressed the clear cut, linearity of the relationship between CO₂ levels and enhanced plant growth. She explained that if the level of atmospheric CO₂ increases by 2x, the resulting decrease in nutrient content increases by 2x. This observation raises serious concerns about future food production as atmospheric CO₂ levels climb upward.
Implications for Food Security
The impacts of this research go well beyond the ivory tower. Staple crops that are becoming increasingly poor in nutrient density is an emerging threat to global food security. As the world’s population increases, so does the need for food. Maintaining a high nutritional quality throughout the alternatives will be important to ensure health and culinary needs are met.
What’s next Ter Haar intends her findings to serve as a wake-up call for policymakers, farmers, and researchers. Our country’s expanding nutrient deficiency is likely to aggravate a range of health maladies related to diet and nutrition. This is doubly true for vulnerable populations who heavily rely on staple crops. The authors of the current research are optimistic their study will encourage additional research on the impact of increased CO₂ on food crops.
A Call for Adaptation
The study highlights the importance of adaptive agricultural practices in addressing the impacts of climate change. Now researchers and farmers are working together to learn more about how increasing CO₂ is impacting the nutrient content of our crops. Together, they’re working to create more resilient agricultural systems. This could contribute to efforts to breed crops that keep nutrient levels in check as CO₂ levels rise, or deploy strategies to enrich our soils.
Ter Haar and her colleagues are intent on laying a rigorous precedent for future studies. Their research will focus on understanding the impact of rising CO₂ levels on agricultural output and find novel ways to address these issues. The urgency of addressing these issues through research and innovation is tremendous, particularly in light of our changing climate that’s reshaping agricultural landscapes around the globe.