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Nature 448, 526-528 (2 August 2007) | doi:10.1038/448526a; Published online 7 February 2007

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Future crops: The other greenhouse effect

Ned Stafford1

  1. Ned Stafford is a freelance writer based in Germany.

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Rising carbon dioxide levels should increase crop yields. But what if their effect on the nutritional value of our food is less benign, asks Ned Stafford.

When you step into a commercial greenhouse, the chances are you are stepping into the future. To plants, carbon dioxide is food, and greenhouse operators, knowing this, use it to fatten them up.