Climate Change

Humans have been altering the atmosphere at an unprecedented rate through the emissions of the carbon dioxide in fossil fuels and these are already impacting our globe.   From warming temperatures accelerating the onset of spring, increasing storms and shifting precipitation patterns, to the melting of glaciers, and bleaching of coral reefs, global warming is impacting natural ecosystems, agriculture and human health alike.   Research conducted by MEEC director Leanne Jablonski and the Ohio State University suggests that food quality may be negatively impacted.  In a meta-analysis synthesis of all scientific studies on plant reproduction (159 studies encompassing 79 crop and wild species) we found that seed nitrogen, a major component of protein, significantly declined in cereal crops under the carbon dioxide regime that is predicted mid-century. (Jablonski et al. New Phytologist 156: 9-26, 2002).

Because the negative impacts of this carbon dioxide blanket are often on those who are already disadvantaged and vulnerable and least able to do anything about it, climate change has become a global environmental justice issue.  To learn more about what you can do to conserve energy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, click here.

In the Resource Center
Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate Change, by Guy Dauncey & Patrick Mazza.  Published in 2001 by New Society Publishers.

Climate Affairs: A Primer, by Michaeal Glantz.  Published in 2003 by Island Press.

Learn more
Union of Concerned Scientists global warming pages