Science Fictions Episode 86: Food and climate
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Oct 2, 2025 Record crop harvests are astonishing, yet climate change threatens food security. The hosts explore the paradox of technology boosts versus environmental impacts. CO2 is debated as a plant food, but its benefits don’t erase its climate-perils. Yield growth is relying more on sustainable practices as fertilizer use declines. Meanwhile, Sub-Saharan Africa struggles with low yields and limited tech. The conversation concludes with a call for nuanced understanding of food production's carbon footprints and the potential of changing diets to mitigate emissions.
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Origin: Hannah Ritchie's Data Deep-Dive
- Tom mentions Hannah Ritchie's substack and new book Clearing the Air as his info source.
- He frames the episode around her post on record global harvests in 2025.
Climate Change Has Held Back Yield Gains
- Climate change has reduced some crop yields compared with a no-warming counterfactual.
- Modeling suggests maize and soybeans are a few percent below what they'd be without recent warming.
CO2 Really Is 'Plant Food'
- Rising CO2 genuinely boosts plant growth and water-use efficiency.
- CO2 fertilization can increase yields substantially for some crops in controlled studies.
