From 2010 to 2012, for example, increased amounts of ozone reduced global yields of staple grains, such as wheat, rice and maize, by 227 metric tonnes. Ground-level, or tropospheric, ozone pollution also threatens critical ecosystems like forests, contributes to rising global temperatures and damages crop production by reducing plants’ ability to turn sunlight into growth. Short-term exposure to this greenhouse gas can cause a host of respiratory problems, from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to emphysema, and like many environmental health challenges, as ozone pollution increases, so will the consequences for people in less-developed countries. Today, most of the global population breathes unhealthy air, with ground-level ozone pollution accounting for nearly half a million early deaths worldwide in 2017 alone. But closer to Earth’s surface, rising ozone levels – formed when pollutants from a wide range of sources react with each other – blanket cities in smog. High up in the stratosphere, naturally occurring ozone reflects solar radiation back into space, protecting people and the planet from harmful ultraviolet rays.
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