Coal-fired power plant pollution significantly threatens India’s food security, with a Stanford University study revealing that nitrogen dioxide emissions from these plants reduce wheat and rice yields by over 10%. Given that India is home to a quarter of the world’s undernourished population, any decline in staple crop productivity has serious implications. The study highlights that coal-fired power plants, which generate more than 70% of India’s electricity, are major contributors to poor air quality, affecting both human health and agricultural output.
The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed how emissions from coal-fired power stations impact crop yields within a 100 km radius, particularly in states like West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. It found that NO2 exposure in these regions results in annual yield losses exceeding 10%, equivalent to nearly six years of average crop yield growth between 2011 and 2020. Additionally, the study determined that the crop damage caused by power plant emissions surpasses the health-related mortality damage per unit of electricity generated.
The study suggests that reducing coal dependency could significantly improve agricultural productivity while also benefiting public health. Key agricultural regions, such as West Bengal’s coal-rich areas near Jharkhand’s Damodar Valley and parts of Madhya Pradesh near Chhattisgarh, could see over a 10% increase in wheat and rice yields if coal-fired power plant emissions were curbed. With India’s rice and wheat yield growth currently averaging 1.7% and 1.5% per year, respectively, transitioning to cleaner energy sources could provide a crucial boost to food production. Past research has linked air pollution, including ozone and sulfur dioxide, to crop losses in India, China, and the U.S., reinforcing the need for stricter emission regulations.