Rising carbon dioxide is decreasing nutrition in crops and endangering health among the less wealthy

Abstract

Carbon dioxide levels are rising globally. The increasing CO2 levels reduce the concentration of nutrients in many of the crops that are consumed worldwide (wheat, rice, barley, maize, legumes, and potatoes). The larger effects for human health are concentrated in regions that heavily rely on these crops for their nutrition such as South and Southeast Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. Because these effects are likely to be hidden, we should better monitor the nutritional status of populations as well as crop nutrient content over the coming decades.