Researchers found that when CO₂ levels and temperatures rise—conditions we’re already seeing—leafy vegetables like kale, arugula, and spinach may grow bigger and faster, but not necessarily better.⁠ ⁠ Scientists at Liverpool John Moores University, led by PhD researcher Jitah Ugwah Ekele, grew these crops in climate-controlled chambers that mimic our future atmosphere. Then they used high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and X-ray fluorescence to measure all the good stuff we hope to get from leafy greens—sugars, proteins, phenolics, flavonoids, vitamins, antioxidants.⁠ ⁠ Here’s the part that made us pause—The plants bulked up, but their nutritional value dropped. Key minerals like calcium and several antioxidant compounds declined under elevated CO₂. Bigger leaves, fewer benefits.⁠ ⁠ Ekele put it well. “It’s important to connect plant science with broader issues of human well-being… we must think holistically about the kind of food system we’re building—one that not only produ...