Reflective Crops Could Counteract Climate Change

January 22nd, 2009 by Ariel Schwartz

Sometimes, the best solutions are the ones that nature gives us. Researchers at the University of Bristol in England think that one easy way to counteract global warming is to plant crops that reflect more sunlight. Plants reflect different amount of sunlight depending on their waxiness and growth patterns.

The researchers’ bio-geoengineering technique could potentially lead to a 2°F drop in temperature across central North America and pieces of Europe and Asia. Existing crops could be used and more reflective crops could also be bred or genetically engineered.

While bio-geoengineering won’t put a complete stop to global warming, it is a relatively cheap, simple tool that could at least buy us some time.

Photo Credit: CC licensed by Flickr user Jim Moran









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