See Incredible Close-Ups of Plant Life Battling Climate Change

As the climate talks opens in Paris, more than 40,000 delegates from 195 countries are gathering to address—and eventually reverse—the rising concentration of carbon in the atmosphere, which is leading to worldwide climate disruption.

That’s the problem on the macro scale. On the micro scale, at least some of this comes down to “stomata,” the tiny structures found on the outer layer of leaves that absorb carbon dioxide and send oxygen into the atmosphere. The stomata consist of a small pore surrounding by two guard cells. For billions of years these microscopic exhaust valves have helped keep oxygen and CO2 levels balanced in the atmosphere.

But since the dawn of the Industrial Age, we’ve been making their work much harder. As the plants struggle to adapt, the micrographs of photographer Robert Dash reveal the stomata for the elegant—and fragile—things they are.

See more of Robert Dash’s work on his website http://www.robertdashphotography.com/