Effects of Global Air Pollution and Climate Change on Crop Yields

摘要

As the population of the globe passed 6 billion there has been renewed interest in the effects of global air pollution on crop yields. This paper will survey the current literature and understanding of direct and indirect effects of air pollution on crop yield and discuss the ramifications in terms of our ability to feed the growing population. Air pollution affects crop yields both directly and indirectly. Direct effects include effects caused by background ozone, fine aerosols, nitrogen oxides and acid gasses. Air pollution also indirectly impacts crop yields through redistribution of water resources, decreased ground level solar energy flux and climate warming. Some of the pollution trends will cause increased yields and others will tend to decrease yields.