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As The Planet Warms, We'll Be Having Rice With A Side Of CO2

Scientists found that exposing rice to high levels of carbon dioxide causes it to lose valuable nutrients like iron, zinc, and B vitamins. But some varieties are better at resisting than others.
Scientists find that rice grown under elevated carbon conditions loses substantial amounts of protein, zinc, iron and B vitamins, depending on the variety.

Grains are the bedrock of civilization. They led humans from hunting and gathering to city-building. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, the fruits of three grasses provide the world with 60 percent of its total food: corn, wheat and rice. Aside from energy-rich carbohydrates, grains feed us protein, zinc, iron and essential B vitamins.

But rice as we know it is at risk.

As humans expel billions of metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere and raze vast swaths of forests, the concentration of published on Wednesday in. For people who depend heavily on rice as a staple in their diets, such a nutritional loss would be devastating, says , a professor at the University of Washington and an author on the study. "When you look at a country like Bangladesh, three out of every four calories comes from rice. Obviously, that means any decline in nutritional value is very significant."

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