New study shows climate intervention could reduce crop protein content

A new study proposed a climate intervention technique specifically Solar Geoengineering that cools the planet by injecting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, resulting in the unintended consequence of lowering the normal levels of protein in major global food crops.

Scientists have been working to stimulate crop growth models to estimate how Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) could impact the protein content of the world’s four major food crops: maize, rice, wheat, and soybeans.

Meanwhile, the SAI approach inspired by volcanic eruption would involve releasing sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere.

This gas would modify into sulfuric acid particles forming an overcast in the upper atmosphere that reflects a small part of the sun’s radiation.

These cereal crops are initially sources of carbohydrates, yet they provide a primary source of dietary protein for large portions of the global population.

The model further suggests that increased CO2 concentrations diminish the protein content of all four crops while increased temperatures tend to increase the protein content of crops.

It has been observed that SAI does not address the root causes of climate change, but it would create a novel climate where the relationship between elevated CO2 and surface temperatures is decoupled.

The models demonstrate that SAI would have a significant effect on crop protein content, with the sharpest drop occurring in nations that are already protein deficient, thereby potentially exacerbating the global nutritional deficit.

The research study further underlines that model development is needed to make more informed decisions about SAI, and it fails to address the underlying cause of nutritional loss.