Surging Carbon Dioxide to Make 600 Million Indians Malnourished by 2050

New York: The soaring levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) due to human activities are making staple crops such as rice and wheat less nutritious, which could result in nearly 600 million people in India deficient in zinc and protein by 2050, warned a study.

The findings, led by researchers from the Harvard University, predicted that the alarming levels of CO2 could make an estimated 50 million Indians zinc deficient, 38 million protein deficient, and 502 million women and children becoming vulnerable to diseases associated with iron deficiency.

Globally, 175 million people would become zinc deficient and 122 million protein deficient when atmospheric levels of CO2 are expected to reach around 550 ppm by 2050.

The research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, showed that more than one billion women and children under five could lose a large amount of their dietary iron intake by at least 4 per cent, putting them at a risk of anaemia and other diseases.

"Our research makes it clear that decisions we are making every day -- how we heat our homes, what we eat, how we move around, what we choose to purchase -- are making our food less nutritious and imperilling the health of other populations and future generations," said lead author Sam Myers, research scientist at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (IANS)