Growing food in towering skyscrapers may seem like a futuristic dream, but vertical farming may be closer than you think and could be a remarkable way to combat climate change. Dickson D. Despommier, a professor of public health at Columbia University, is writing a book about vertical farms and in a recent New York Times Op-Ed explains the many benefits.

By consolidating food production in tall, specially designed buildings we could dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the use of fossil fuels for transportation and farming machinery.  Vertical farming cuts the need for fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides used in conventional farming,  and provides ways to conserve water and eliminate agricultural pollution.  Land that had been previously used for traditional farming could be restored to their original ecological state, helping to absorb carbon emissions.  The vertical farms themselves would also help absorb carbon dioxide in cities. 

While helping to curb and absorb greenhouse gas emissions, vertical farming could also shelter food production from the threats of an already changing climate.  Floods and droughts would no longer take such a devastating toll as they have with increasing frequency.

The promise of vertical farming may sound fantastical, but the technology exists to make it work.  As Professor Despommier points out, the venture now needs funding, political support and a  successful example of a working vertical farm.  If vertical farming could indeed help combat climate change, increase food security, and reduce pollution and the use of fossil fuels, I would say that would be a worthwhile investment.