Air pollution destroys floral scents so badly that insects cannot find flowers to feed.

Insects use flower scents like maps to locate food. Harmful gases in dirty air, like ozone and nitrogen oxides, break down these scent chemicals. When the scent disappears, pollinators cannot find flowers. This study examines what happens when these two pollutants mix together. It turns out their combined damage is sub-additive, meaning they do less harm together than their added separate impacts. Under a mid-level emissions path, ozone rises until mid-century before falling, meaning pollinator relief depends on cutting emissions.

Why it matters

Farms and wild ecosystems depend on insects to pollinate plants. When vehicle and fuel emissions scramble flower scents, insects struggle to feed, directly putting crops and biodiversity in danger. Understanding how air quality changes over the clean energy transition reveals when and how these pollinators might actually recover.

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