Climate change will make hundreds of millions more people nutrient deficient

Crops grown in a high CO2 atmosphere are less nutritious, containing less protein, zinc and iron

Rising levels of carbon dioxide could make crops less nutritious and damage the health of hundreds of millions of people, research has revealed, with those living in some of the world's poorest regions likely to be hardest hit.

Previous research has shown that many food crops become less nutritious when grown under the CO₂ levels expected by 2050, with reductions of protein, iron and zinc estimated at 3-17%.