Food For Thought

How one part of nature–our food–is connected to climate change.

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This image depicts the impact of drought, heat and fire on crops due to climate change. It also invokes the issue of burning wheat and rice chaf in fields rather than practicing no-till agriculture. Burning chaff creates GHG pollution. Alternative methods are available.
Rice is imperiled by rising sea levels, and shifting geographic ranges. Rice crops produce a great deal of methane, but researchers now explore how to grow rice without this greenhouse gas as a byproduct.
Carrots are impacted by wild swings of drought and flooding.
Chili peppers are threatened by unpredictable flooding and droughts, invasive species and viruses.
One of the threats of climate change is the reduction of yields for staple crops in many regions worldwide. At the same time, nutrient contents of food crops will decrease while carbohydrate contents will increase. This will have a more dramatic negative effect in developing regions.
Spines on the edge of a hop leaf may not be enough to protect this plant, crucial to the brewing of beer, from the vagaries of climate change; it’s range is being constrained.
Ironically, some large organic farms produce more GHG than do traditional farms. Some have called for a "Carbon Smart" food label.
Avocados grown in California are threatened by drought, so much so that some growers are choosing not to plant trees destined to mature (and struggle) in hotter conditions of the future.
Seasons are shifting in many regions, upending ancient pollinator cycles, with huge implications for food production.
Climate change leads to more encroachment of invasive species. The whole idea of what is invasive and what is native is changing, as conditions may start to favor invasives, making them the new natives.
Increased pollen from climate change leads to more asthma and allergies. Camas has an edible bulb eaten for millennia by northwest Native Americans.
50 million years ago, Azolla grew in such huge quantities that it is credited with removing half of the excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This fast-growing, high protein plant has many modern uses, including livestock (and possibly human) nutrition.
Borage flowers have medicinal and nutritional benefits, and they are a welcome addition to forest gardens.
Sunflowers are highly resistant to drought, increased heat, and disease. They're seen as a key species by researchers looking to support healthy crops in the future.
These seeds have a high plant protein content. These seeds (quinoa, amaranth, chia) are well-suited to hot and dry conditions. It’s one of several ancient grains particularly suited to hot and dry conditions. Focusing on plant proteins is a way to highlight the reduced methane and greenhouse gas pollution as a result of a more plant-based diet.
Buckwheat is an excellent source of plant-based protein. When used as a cover crop, buckwheat reduces the need for fertilizer, captures carbon, and it helps soil hold water.
The decline of bees worldwide is well-documented, as is the threat to pollinating crops. Little known is that certain mushroom mycelial extracts are boosting bee viral resistance.
Chia seeds are another excellent source of plant-based proteins, and essential nutrients. Deriving more of our diets from plant sources, and less from animal sources, would have a huge impact on reducing greenhouse gases.
Three grains of "topsoil" versus three "grains" of compost--the compost creates a sponge in soil, collecting water, air, and room for roots to spread. This is the foundation of a carbon-rich soil, which is the base of a cooler planet.
Hazelnut trees are part of a carbon-farming movement that promotes no-till/perennial agriculture, agroforestry, and carbon sequestration.
A farmer in Washington state is developing strains of rice, millet and wheat that can be grown in small backyard plots, adding to local agriculture and reducing GHG-emitting transport.
The range of many disease-carrying insects is expanding, bringing new threats to unprepared communities. At the same time, several species of insects are declining worldwide. This echoes a trend of ecosystems becoming more fragile and disturbed.
Diatoms create about half of the planet’s oxygen. Warming oceans are stressing diatoms and in some situations, reducing their numbers.

Robert Dash

Robert Dash is an educator, naturalist and award-winning photographer whose work features the complex textures and patterns of micro…

Topics
Environment
Sub Topics
Agriculture Environmental Degradation Human Impact
Regions
Worldwide
Food

About Food For Thought

We humans are busy going about our lives, while nature is in shock from the choices that we make. This series offers a micro perspective on how one part of nature–our food–is connected to climate change. It references threats to treasured foods, but also, methods which help reverse those threats.

Every day, we’re more intimately tied to food than most anything else. These images symbolize both the abundance and the chaos that humanity has brought to the dinner table. They feature resilient, edible seeds and grains like quinoa, buckwheat, millet, sunflower, amaranth and chia, all of which offer significant minerals and nutrients and can be a great source of plant protein. Reducing meat consumption in favor of these plant sources would have a huge impact on reducing greenhouse gasses. Staple crops like wheat, rice and soy are all threatened by human-caused climate change. Yields and nutrient values of these and other foods are decreasing, putting extra strain on developing regions. Spices such as cloves and saffron, hops grown to make beer, avocados, cacao and coffee beans are all under pressure due to climate change. Carbon farming describes agricultural practices which capture more carbon than they release. Agroforestry, no-till agriculture, silvapasture and forest gardens are all examples of this approach. Azolla, the floating fern which is credited with removing half of the planet’s excess CO2 50 million years ago, is included as evidence of the power of plants to heal the planet.

Each image was made with a scanning electron microscope, and features natural objects scaled at several times smaller than a pinhead. DSLR macro photography completes the photomontage, to allow a surreal conversation between natural objects, and minute details of themselves. They are inspired by nature, and the artistic visions of Uelsmann, Blossfeldt, and Chris Jordan.

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