Ozone pollution seriously affects European agriculture

Introduction: a detailed survey conducted by British researchers shows that the damage of ozone smoke to crops causes about 6 billion euros of agricultural losses in Europe every year But Europe's current air pollution strategy could cut losses by a third by 2010 According to the latest British magazine New Scientist, the study was commissioned by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, involving 45 countries in Europe and the former Soviet Union The most serious loss is France, 1.5 billion euros per year, followed by Germany, 1 billion euros per year, and the loss of British agriculture is about 200 million euros per year In the upper part of the atmosphere, ozone can block ultraviolet rays and protect life on earth However, ozone is a dangerous pollutant near the ground The secondary pollutants are called photochemical smog Ozone is the most harmful component of photochemical smog, which will affect the growth of plants Due to the transport and accumulation of air pollutants, ozone pollution in rural areas may be more serious than in cities For example, vineyards are basically unaffected, while wheat, potatoes and beans are significantly damaged About a third of Europe's agricultural losses from ozone pollution come from wheat and a fifth from potatoes In addition, the damage of ozone to livestock and grassland is also very serious If the indirect losses such as the reduction of meat and milk production caused by this are taken into account, the loss of European agriculture caused by ozone pollution may increase by 4 billion euros.