Rising ozone pollution threatens east Asia’s cereal crops

An image showing a rice plant

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Losses of wheat, rice and maize add up to $63 billion every year

Ozone pollution is damaging wheat, rice and maize crops across China, South Korea and Japan to the tune of $63 billion (£46 billion) each year. The study by an international team of researchers highlights the need to mitigate increasing ground- level ozone across east Asia to safeguard food production in one of the world’s largest bread baskets and rice bowls.