●Around
76 percent of people on Earth rely on plants for their daily protein
●Scientists believe increased carbon dioxide will increase the starch in plants
●This could decrease protein and other nutrients available by eating
them ●Sub-Saharan Africa which already experiences famine will be hardest
hit ●South Asia where rice and wheat are staples will also be
severely affected
Rising carbon dioxide levels from global warming will drastically reduce the amount of
protein in staple crops like rice and wheat.
This will leaving vulnerable populations at risk
of growth stunting and early death, experts have warned.
Researchers say they still don't understand how
or why carbon dioxide emissions sap protein and other nutrients from
plants.
An additional 150 million people globally may be
at risk of protein deficiency by 2050 because of rising levels of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere, however.
STUDY
FINDINGS
Researchers calculated that by 2050, higher CO2 concentrations
will sap the protein contents of barley by 14.6 percent, rice by 7.6 percent,
wheat by 7.8 percent, and potatoes by 6.4 percent.
A full 76 percent of the people on Earth rely on plants for most
of their daily protein, particularly in poor areas of the globe.
The hardest hit areas are expected to be Sub-Saharan Africa, where
millions already don't get enough protein in their diets, and South Asia where
rice and wheat are common staples.
Researchers said solutions may include cutting
carbon emissions, supporting more diverse diets, enriching the nutritional
content of staple crops, and breeding crops that are less sensitive to the
harmful effects of CO2.
The study, led by Harvard University, is the
first to quantify the impacts of global warming on the protein levels of crops.
It relies on data from open field experiments in
which plants were exposed to high concentrations of CO2.
Global dietary information from the United
Nations was used to calculate the impact on people who live dangerously close
to the edge when it comes to getting enough protein.
Without it, growth is stunted, diseases are more
common and early mortality is far more likely.
Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of fossil-fuel
burning that helps trap heat around the Earth.
Without stark action, these emissions are
expected to climb in the decades to come, resulting in rising seas, hotter
temperatures and more extreme weather events.
A leading hypothesis was that CO2 might increase
the amount of starch in plants, thereby decreasing protein and other nutrients.
But lead author Samuel Myers, a senior research
scientist in Harvard University's TH Chan School of Public Health, said that
experiments did not back up the theory.
'The short answer is we really have no idea,' he
told AFP.
'We've looked into it pretty extensively.'
Protein was not the only nutrient to take a major
hit.
Other research has shown that rising CO2 will cut
key minerals like iron and zinc in staple crops, leading to further nutritional
deficiencies worldwide.
Researchers calculated that by 2050, higher CO2
concentrations will sap the protein contents of barley by 14.6 percent, rice by
7.6 percent, wheat by 7.8 percent, and potatoes by 6.4 percent.
'If CO2 levels continue to rise as projected, the
populations of 18 countries may lose more than 5 percent of their dietary
protein by 2050 due to a decline in the nutritional value of rice, wheat, and
other staple crops,' said the report.
A full 76 percent of the people on Earth rely on
plants for most of their daily protein, particularly in poor areas of the
globe.
The hardest hit areas are expected to be
Sub-Saharan Africa, where millions already don't get enough protein in their
diets, and South Asia where rice and wheat are common staples.
India alone may lose 5.3 percent of protein from
a standard diet, putting a predicted 53 million people at new risk of protein
deficiency.
Researchers said solutions may include cutting
carbon emissions, supporting more diverse diets, enriching the nutritional
content of staple crops, and breeding crops that are less sensitive to the
harmful effects of CO2.
Culled from DAILY MAIL UK
No comments :
Post a Comment