Planting more crops isn't the only way to feed a growing population. Cutting air pollution could go a long way towards increasing crop production while saving precious land and money, according to new research.
If the world cuts the emissions of just one type of air pollutant in half, estimates suggest winter crops could yield about 28 percent more in China and up to 10 percent more in other parts of the world., a family of invisible, poisonous gasses produced by car exhaust and industrial emissions that include nitrogen dioxide.
That's around US$5 billion dollars worth of crops saved each year by reducing just four types of air pollutants.Nitrogen dioxide is one of the easier pollutants to measure regionally, and directly compare to crop growth. When emitted into the atmosphere, nitrogen dioxide interacts with ultraviolet light in a way easily detected by satellites.
Comparing nitrogen dioxide emissions in various regions of the world with the greenness of cropland, the team found a consistently negative effect.
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