U.N. report: Rising emissions could drain foods like rice and wheat of their nutrients
Climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events like wildfires, heat waves, and hurricanes. Research links our warming planet to increasing food insecurity as well.
A new report from the United Nations warns that climate change decreases the nutritional value of important food crops like wheat and rice.
That's because high levels of carbon dioxide disrupt plants' internal chemistry, altering how much protein and other vitamins they produce internally.
Climate change is linked to myriad health issues: longer, more intense allergy seasons, the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like Zika and malaria, and the proliferation of flesh-eating bacteria in warmer water.
A new report from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) adds yet another serious health risk to the list: Increased carbon-dioxide levels lower the nutritional value of food staples like rice and wheat.
Research has shown that growing these crops in environments with higher levels of carbon dioxide decreases their concentrations of protein, zinc, and iron.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/un-report-rising-emissions-could-drain-foods-like-rice-and-wheat-of-their-nutrients/ar-AAFAegZ?li=BBnbfcL