Zack Subin

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Nor does the agriculture sector’s reliance on fossil fuels end there. Back in the glasshouse Nof crouched down and showed me a white, perforated plastic pipe running beneath the rows of vines. The pipe, it transpired, was puffing out a concentrated stream of carbon dioxide. This was another Dutch innovation. Since carbon dioxide is, alongside light, the main input into photosynthesis, you can dramatically accelerate the rate of growth by increasing the CO2 content inside the greenhouse from the atmospheric average of just over 400 parts per million to 800ppm or even 1,000ppm. And where does ...more
Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization
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