Microplastics hinder plant photosynthesis, study finds, threatening millions with starvation
Microplastics hinder plant photosynthesis, study finds, threatening millions with starvation
Researchers say problem could increase number of people at risk of starvation by 400m in next two decades
The pollution of the planet by microplastics is significantly cutting food supplies by damaging the ability of plants to photosynthesise, according to a new assessment.
Well that’s terrifying
There's really no end to the good news.
“Humanity has been striving to increase food production to feed an ever-growing population [but] these ongoing efforts are now being jeopardised by plastic pollution,” said the researchers, led by Prof Huan Zhong, at Nanjing University in China.
Meanwhile:
In 2022, the world wasted 1.05 billion tonnes of food. This amounts to one fifth (19 per cent) of food available to consumers being wasted, at the retail, food service, and household level. That is in addition to the 13 per cent of the world’s food lost in the supply chain, as estimated by FAO, from post-harvest up to and excluding retail.
• [...] Out of the total food wasted in 2022, households were responsible for 631 million tonnes equivalent to 60 percent, the food service sector for 290 and the retail sector for 131.
• Reducing food waste provides compounding benefits: Food loss and waste generates 8-10 per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – almost five times the total emissions from the aviation sector. It occurs while 783 million people are hungry and a third of humanity faces food insecurity.Source: UN Environment Programme – Food Waste Index Report 2024 (Key Messages)
Thanks for sharing! This is really important context. It's worth mentioning as well that our current food systen, particularly concerning the amount of meat in it, is pretty far from being an efficient use of crops.
Those numbers seem worrying. 68% of food making it from farm to mouth seems very high. I suspect there are some inherent inefficiencies that mean it'll never be close to 100. We are also pushing up against the limits of available farmland and a number of key nutrients. And the population is still growing...
Unchecked greed you say, must be those pesky 90’s paper bags.
Well, shit.
Good thing we have a lot more CO2 in the atmosphere, so plants are going gangbusters. /s
What is this, a crossover episode?
