Malnutrition by CO2 emissions

The harm done by CO2 emissions goes beyond climate disaster. The higher level of CO2 in the air leads many plants to grow with smaller amounts of nutrients. That can cause widespread malnutrition.

The article says HarvestPlus's new varieties are not patented. The use of the word "patent" here is a confusion, since plant varieties made by breeding cannot be patented. I think the article is referring to plant variety monopolies, a narrower system that the WTO imposed on most of the world. It is not much like patents, but it does create a private monopoly over selling seeds or plants. It does not last as many years as patents do, but it does make farmers pay "rent" (in economic terms) for what they grow.

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