Climate change will reduce crop yields sooner than we thought

[GliderGuider]

Climate change will reduce crop yields sooner than we thought

In the study, the researchers created a new data set by combining and comparing results from 1,700 published assessments of the response that climate change will have on the yields of rice, maize and wheat.

In the Fourth Assessment Report, scientists had reported that regions of the world with temperate climates, such as Europe and most of North America, could withstand a couple of degrees of warming without a noticeable effect on harvests, or possibly even benefit from a bumper crop.

"As more data have become available, we've seen a shift in consensus, telling us that the impacts of climate change in temperate regions will happen sooner rather than later," said Professor Challinor.

The researchers state that we will see, on average, an increasingly negative impact of climate change on crop yields from the 2030s onwards. The impact will be greatest in the second half of the century, when decreases of over 25% will become increasingly common.

These statistics already account for minor adaptation techniques employed by farmers to mitigate the effects of climate change, such as small adjustments in the crop variety and planting date.

The study is available here: http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate2153.html

[pscot]

1. We're in countdown now

and there's no possibility of an abort.

[tech3149]

2. We are well and truly screwn

I've expected this since the 60's. It's not bad enough that the "developed" world wastes more resources than they need but we still have too many people.
ZPG was a good idea but now we have these quiver full families trying to make up for those of us that chose not to have kids.

[stuntcat]

3. and no matter how little food is grown and no matter how many more people are starving,

humans will still plant, fertilize, water, process and transport meca-tons of food to feed billions of tortured farm animals so the success monkeys can have as much meat as they can stuff in their mouths, while they wade around in a sea of animal poop.