Mushrooms may be the fungal hero the world needs right now. In an effort to save the planet from climate change and end world hunger, scientists are proposing growing mushrooms for every newly planted tree. Not only do mushrooms serve as a nutritious source for millions of people with food insecurity, but it also helps with capturing carbon.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas whose levels have risen in recent decades from human activities. When the gas is released from actions like the burning of fossil fuels, it travels up into the atmosphere where it traps in extra heat. This makes it harder for the Earth to cool itself down. The greenhouse effect it causes is one of the main drivers behind increasing global temperatures.
Planting mushrooms might seem like an unorthodox solution, but it takes away the need to clear extra land to grow crops and provides an incentive to planting trees. There has been less fertile land to grow plants, driving heated arguments on whether the remaining land should go towards revitalizing forests or food production. Data from 2010 to 2020 reported a loss of 4.7 million hectares of forest area per year.