Science Daily says a field test conducted by the University of California-Davis “has demonstrated that elevated levels of carbon dioxide inhibit plants’ assimilation of nitrate into proteins, indicating that the nutritional quality of food crops is at risk as climate change intensifies.” Laboratory experiments indicated this would occur. UC-Davis checked samples of field-grown wheat to verify the conclusion.
Plant-science professor Arnold Bloom, lead author of the UC-Davis study, said other studies have shown protein concentrations in wheat, rice, barley and potatoes decline by an average 8 pct with elevated levels of carbon dioxide. He said “it becomes clear that the overall amount of protein available for human consumption may drop by about 3 percent as atmospheric carbon dioxide reaches the levels anticipated to occur during the next few decades.”