Nutritional quality of crops in a high CO2 world: an agenda for research and technology development
Essential nutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, are required for human health and development. Inadequate intake can negatively affect development and result in a wide range of adverse health outcomes. Rice, maize, and wheat provide over 60% of the world’s food...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abfcfa |
| _version_ | 1797747677381787648 |
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| author | Kristie L Ebi C Leigh Anderson Jeremy J Hess Soo-Hyung Kim Irakli Loladze Rebecca B Neumann Deepti Singh Lewis Ziska Robert Wood |
| author_facet | Kristie L Ebi C Leigh Anderson Jeremy J Hess Soo-Hyung Kim Irakli Loladze Rebecca B Neumann Deepti Singh Lewis Ziska Robert Wood |
| author_sort | Kristie L Ebi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Essential nutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, are required for human health and development. Inadequate intake can negatively affect development and result in a wide range of adverse health outcomes. Rice, maize, and wheat provide over 60% of the world’s food energy intake. Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO _2 ), water, nitrogen, and soil micronutrients are the basis of this plant material. Since 1850–1900, CO _2 concentrations have increased about 50%, with most of that increase since 1950. Higher CO _2 concentrations increase photosynthesis, which then increases plant biomass, but also alters the nutritional quality of wheat, rice, and other C3 plants. We review the possible impacts of rising CO _2 concentrations on human health, highlight uncertainties, and propose a research agenda to maintain the nutritional quality of C3 plants. We also synthesize options for addressing this critical challenge to nutritional safety and security. A complete research agenda requires addressing data and knowledge gaps surrounding plant biology and policy responses. Data on key nutrients are lacking, leading to a limited mechanistic understanding of the response of the plant ionome to elevated CO _2 concentrations. Regular data are largely missing on nutritional status and food safety in low- and middle-income countries, limiting assessments of the magnitude of the risks. Research opportunities to fill gaps in data and understanding include herbaria studies, field-based natural and manipulative studies, leveraging natural plant variability, and innovations in seed quality. Improved models of cereal crop nutritional quality can project the magnitude and direction of possible future challenges; incorporating the effects of climate change into those models can further improve their robustness. Transdisciplinary research involving at least ecologists, plant physiologists, economists, and experts in human nutrition is essential for developing a systems-based understanding of the potential impacts of rising CO _2 concentrations for human nutrition and the attendant consequences for achieving the sustainable development goal on food security. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:53:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a985db0952d94a1989814c9ec5c936bc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:53:57Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-a985db0952d94a1989814c9ec5c936bc2023-08-09T15:00:40ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262021-01-0116606404510.1088/1748-9326/abfcfaNutritional quality of crops in a high CO2 world: an agenda for research and technology developmentKristie L Ebi0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4746-8236C Leigh Anderson1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9430-9305Jeremy J Hess2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0440-2459Soo-Hyung Kim3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3879-4080Irakli Loladze4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7615-7803Rebecca B Neumann5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3464-9046Deepti Singh6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6568-435XLewis Ziska7Robert Wood8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1401-3828Center for Health and the Global Environment, University of Washington , Seattle, WA 98195, United States of AmericaDaniel J Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington , Box 353055, Seattle, WA 98195, United States of AmericaCenter for Health and the Global Environment, University of Washington , Seattle, WA 98195, United States of AmericaSchool of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington , Seattle, WA 98195, United States of AmericaBryan College of Health Sciences, Bryan Medical Center , Lincoln, NE, United Staes of America; School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ, United States of AmericaDepartment of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Washington , Seattle, WA 98195, United States of AmericaSchool of the Environment, Washington State University , Vancouver, WA 99164, United States of AmericaMailman School of Public Health, Columbia University , New York, NY 10032, United States of AmericaAtmospheric Sciences, College of the Environment, University of Washington , Seattle, WA 98195, United States of AmericaEssential nutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, are required for human health and development. Inadequate intake can negatively affect development and result in a wide range of adverse health outcomes. Rice, maize, and wheat provide over 60% of the world’s food energy intake. Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO _2 ), water, nitrogen, and soil micronutrients are the basis of this plant material. Since 1850–1900, CO _2 concentrations have increased about 50%, with most of that increase since 1950. Higher CO _2 concentrations increase photosynthesis, which then increases plant biomass, but also alters the nutritional quality of wheat, rice, and other C3 plants. We review the possible impacts of rising CO _2 concentrations on human health, highlight uncertainties, and propose a research agenda to maintain the nutritional quality of C3 plants. We also synthesize options for addressing this critical challenge to nutritional safety and security. A complete research agenda requires addressing data and knowledge gaps surrounding plant biology and policy responses. Data on key nutrients are lacking, leading to a limited mechanistic understanding of the response of the plant ionome to elevated CO _2 concentrations. Regular data are largely missing on nutritional status and food safety in low- and middle-income countries, limiting assessments of the magnitude of the risks. Research opportunities to fill gaps in data and understanding include herbaria studies, field-based natural and manipulative studies, leveraging natural plant variability, and innovations in seed quality. Improved models of cereal crop nutritional quality can project the magnitude and direction of possible future challenges; incorporating the effects of climate change into those models can further improve their robustness. Transdisciplinary research involving at least ecologists, plant physiologists, economists, and experts in human nutrition is essential for developing a systems-based understanding of the potential impacts of rising CO _2 concentrations for human nutrition and the attendant consequences for achieving the sustainable development goal on food security.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abfcfacarbon dioxidehuman healthnutritionnutrient densitydietary diversitybiofortification |
| spellingShingle | Kristie L Ebi C Leigh Anderson Jeremy J Hess Soo-Hyung Kim Irakli Loladze Rebecca B Neumann Deepti Singh Lewis Ziska Robert Wood Nutritional quality of crops in a high CO2 world: an agenda for research and technology development Environmental Research Letters carbon dioxide human health nutrition nutrient density dietary diversity biofortification |
| title | Nutritional quality of crops in a high CO2 world: an agenda for research and technology development |
| title_full | Nutritional quality of crops in a high CO2 world: an agenda for research and technology development |
| title_fullStr | Nutritional quality of crops in a high CO2 world: an agenda for research and technology development |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nutritional quality of crops in a high CO2 world: an agenda for research and technology development |
| title_short | Nutritional quality of crops in a high CO2 world: an agenda for research and technology development |
| title_sort | nutritional quality of crops in a high co2 world an agenda for research and technology development |
| topic | carbon dioxide human health nutrition nutrient density dietary diversity biofortification |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abfcfa |
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