Can We Avert the Looming Food Crisis of Climate Change?

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Mathematical model captures the relationship between carbon dioxide, temperature, human population, and crop growth—and reveals a critical threshold.

Mathematical model captures the relationship between carbon dioxide, temperature, human population, and crop growth—and reveals a critical threshold.

Human activities are causing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels to rise, which increases the global average surface temperature—and poses a threat to crop growth. Escalating concerns about climate change’s impact on global food security inspired researchers from Banaras Hindu University in India to create a way to explore how these factors influence crop yields.

In Chaos, from AIP Publishing, the researchers share a mathematical model created to capture the nonlinear relationships between CO2, temperature, human population, and crop growth. Increasing evidence of chaotic and complex dynamics within ecological systems led them to use both autonomous and nonautonomous models to gain a deeper understanding of seasonal variations and potential mitigation strategies, such as developing temperature-tolerant crops.

The team’s study integrates key concepts of the dynamics of atmospheric CO2, rising temperatures, human population, and crop yield.

Read more at American Institute of Physics

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