In the area of climate, upper tropospheric ozone is an effective greenhouse gas, and aircraft NO x emissions could be enough to perturb upper tropospheric ozone. New aircraft may be more fuel-efficient, but emit more NO x . Some greenhouse gases are affected by the oxidative capacity of the troposphere. Increasing O 3 on regional and hemispheric scales may be suppressing net productivity and growth in ecosystems. Ozone pollution also affects crops.
Ozone gets into plants' stomata, penetrates cell walls, and makes membranes brittle.
Antioxidants, such as vitamin C, may help protect against oxidants like ozone. Irrigation opens plants' stomata, making them more susceptible to ozone effects. Generally, we burn fossil fuels in the same places we produce food and use fertilizer. These regions are the economic drivers of the globe. These ozone impacts could triple in the next 25 years.