The LSE, a joint unit of the University of Lorraine and INRAE, has been collaborating with Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou for about twenty years, a partnership that led to the creation of the ECOLAND International Associated Laboratory (LIA). One of the topics under study concerns the impact of pollution—particularly from heavy metals—on the food chain. In a recent study, the partners demonstrated a combined effect of heat waves and lead-containing fine particulate matter on plants. Using lettuce as a test plant, they showed that growth is significantly reduced by this dual stress.  Chloroplast function is disrupted, stomata close, and photosynthesis decreases. The plant then devotes more resources to its defense mechanisms and lead detoxification, at the expense of its growth. From a human health perspective, the nutritional quality of the leaves decreases, and the lead they contain becomes more easily absorbed during digestion. This study thus demonstrates that climate change and air pollution can jointly threaten agricultural yields and food security.

Xu, Kai, Jingjing Li, Weichao Guo, Tenghaobo Deng, Jean Louis Morel, Yetao Tang, and Rongliang Qiu. "Atmospheric Lead Deposition under Climate Change: Implications for Lettuce Yield and Dietary Exposure Risks." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry  (2026). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.6c07008 .