Genetic engineering could help reduce carbon footprint of food production

[Editor’s note: This excerpt was translated from the Norwegian by Google translate. It has been lightly edited for clarity.]

…[A]griculture is a significant source of CO2 emissions. … The challenge is [to] produce the most food with a small carbon footprint as possible.

Three new studies have used genetic engineering to develop … climate-friendly methods to increase conversion of CO2 into biomass….

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…[Traditional] plant breeding has not succeeded in increasing the productivity of wheat …. In greenhouses at British Rothamsted [researchers are growing]… a special wheat… genetically modified to streamline photosynthesis, thereby increasing productivity.

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If plants are getting too much sunlight, they turn down photosynthesis…. Once the plant is shaded, it takes time for photosynthesis [to get going] again. By inserting genes from the plant thale cress, that make this process faster, …researchers managed to get a tobacco plant to produce up to 20 percent more biomass….

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[In addition], scientists at the German Max Planck Institute created an … artificial carbon fixation process … more effective than the natural photosynthesis.

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…[N]o single technology or strategy alone could solve climate problems. … But if any of these methods prove to work on a large scale, [there is] the potential to really make a difference.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, Google translated post: GMOs for less CO2

Read full article in original Norwegian: GMO for mindre CO2