Plants, CO2 and photosynthesis in the 21st century Review Article

Human activity in the last 200 years has led to a marked increase in the level of C02 in the atmosphere. Plants sense increases in C02 levels and initially respond with an increase in photosynthetic rate, which may then slow as the plant adapts. This increase in photosynthetic rate may account in part for the ‘disappearance’ of an estimated 1.8 gigatons of carbon per year.