Agriculture
The process of natural photosynthesis is a highly inefficient process. For example, the typical efficiency of plants is 0.1% or 0.2-2%, the typical efficiency of crop plants is 1-2%, and the plant which has the maximum efficiency of 7-8% is sugarcane. The inefficiency of plants to convert sunlight into viable energy sources for humans has prompted agriculturalists to attempt to enhance the abilities of plant to use more of the energy that they absorb. In order to more fully understand how to control the photosynthetic efficiency of plants, agriculturalists need to understand the process of photo respiration, or the light-independent reactions of photosynthesis. These are the photosynthetic reactions that use carbon dioxide and convert it into sugars for the plants to use for growth.
On a global basis, photosynthesis plays a large role in politics and the global food market. As the images depict above the United Sate and China are two of the largest contributors, financially, to agriculture production across the world, however the U.S. and Canada also consume significantly more food on a daily basis than any other country. Persons residing in the U.S. and Canada consume over 3,400 calories of food on average per day, while persons in central Africa consume less than 1,800 calories on average per day. These averages do not reflect the personal consumption of yourself or your family, however from these images we can learn how the U.S. compares to other countries in the world.
Energy
The majority of substances that we use to fuel our everyday energy needs come from the breakdown or burning of plants. We use fossils fuels, which are formed by the decomposition of plant materials over millions of years, we burn wood and coal to heat houses and warm fireplaces, and in recent years we have produced a product called Ethanol, which comes from the sugars and starched in corn and can be used to fuel cars, buses, and trucks. Ultimately all of the energy we use today comes from the process of photosynthesis which captured the energy of the sun and stored it in carbohydrates such as sugar and starches.
Materials
Many of the materials that are used in our daily lives depend, either directly or indirectly, on photosynthesis. The paper in notebook and books comes directly from photosynthesis. Paper is made mostly of cellulose, a compound formed by stringing many sugar molecules together to form a starch. These sugars come directly from the process of photosynthesis and cellulose is what gives a plant its structure. An example of a material that is indirectly linked to photosynthesis is plastic. Plastics are made from petroleum products which is the basic fossil fuel we use to make gas for cars, motor oil and many other products. Petroleum is a fossil fuel and is made from the break down of organic materials overtime, just like you learned above.
The Environment
When it comes to photosynthesis, one of the major environmental concerns associated with it is the consumption and production of carbon dioxide gas (CO2). Photosynthesis requires carbon dioxide gas in order to produce the sugars plants need to grow and survive. In this sense photosynthesis helps balance the amount of carbon dioxide that is present in our atmosphere. Naturally, photosynthesis maintains a steady balance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. However, when plant material is consumed, burned, by humans for fuel the carbon dioxide that was stored in the plant material is released in quantities that are too high for photosynthesis to balance naturally. The burning of materials such as fossil fuels and wood cause a buildup of carbon dioxide gas in the Earth's atmosphere. As you can see in the image shown below, the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps heat from the sun and causes the Earth to warm. Over the past few decades, scientists have discovered that the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is contributing to the warming of the Earth and climate change.