Temperature fluctuates, abnormal weather seems to be natural. In terms of a long span, it can be said that the Earth is entering that period, but there are things that are being culled out as a result of the influence.
Currently, the production of certain crops is in danger. If such a trend further progresses, there is a possibility that the amount of distribution will be reduced and foods that can not be eaten will come out. Or it may be very expensive.
According to David Rober, Deputy Director of Stanford University Food Safety and Environment Center, "Generally agriculture is delicate" and "It is not the end of the world, but it is a big problem of concern".
Relationship between agriculture and climate change
One of the main problems is carbon dioxide (CO2). Plants use this to photosynthesize. Some experts therefore argue that the increase in CO 2 has a positive impact on agriculture.
But Mr. Robert is dissenting from this. He says that CO 2 is only one of many elements in agriculture.
He explained, "There is no point in increasing the CO2 even if there is no point." There are other factors such as obtaining water. If the difference in temperature increases and the effect of stress on plants increases, the benefits of increased CO2 may be offset.
Mr. Rober has already felt the impact of climate change on crops.
For example, corn and wheat production data shows that both crops are adversely affected by climate change.
Likewise, fruits and nuts seem to show the impact of climate change. It is said that "cold time" is necessary for the spring fruit tree to fruit properly. Production and quality will decline unless it is placed in the low temperature environment needed during the winter. On the contrary, even if snow is frequent and the period of severe cold continues for a long time, the influence on quality is great.
If production is reduced in this way, prices of various ingredients will rise.
The eight kinds of foods raised below are said to be unfit to eat in the future, or price rises expected by Mr. Rober. Maybe you should taste it now.
Corn (and animals feeding it)
Water shortages and rising temperatures are news that we do not want to welcome to corn. Just once the world's average temperature has just risen, the growth of corn falls by 7 percent. Corn is also used as a feed for livestock, so if the production is reduced, it will also result in catching the price of the meat.
This is not mere speculation, but it is actually happening now. According to recent research, the production of farmers worldwide has been much less recent than before climate change in recent years. Especially world corn production is decreasing by nearly 4 percent.
coffee
Changes in the temperature and weather patterns that exceed the average in the tropics will spread coffee rust and race and foreign species in coffee plantations. To make matters worse, the price of coffee soared due to the drought that occurred in Brazil this spring.
Some experts predict that if current trends continue, Latin America coffee production will be replaced by Asia.
Apart from Latin America, African coffee production also faces the impact of climate change. According to forecasts, regions that are suitable for African coffee cultivation will decrease by 65 to 100 percent due to the rise in temperature.
chocolate
According to a 2011 study by the International Tropical Agricultural Center (CIAT), which is often cited, cocoa beans, the raw material for chocolate, will significantly reduce production in the coming decades.
The main problem is temperature rise and decrease of available water volume. In Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire it is predicted that the temperature will rise more than twice by 2050. This will increase the evapotranspiration of the cacao tree, resulting in more water lost in the atmosphere, leading to a reduction in production.
Andrew Jervis of CIAT believes that chocolate and coffee are not indispensable for living, but there are also people who can not imagine life without coffee and chocolate.
Even if it does not completely disappear, the price is likely to be much higher. Both are sensitive to climate change and the growing demand is outpacing the supply capacity.
seafood
Climate change will also raise ocean CO2 levels. This causes acidification of the ocean and becomes a threat to any marine products.
For example, calcified organs such as the shells of young oysters (oysters) become difficult to grow as the sea's acidity increases. According to some experts, since the Industrial Revolution, the ocean acidity rose by 25 percent.
Some studies have shown that even more fish can adapt slowly to acidification. That means there is a risk of mass extinction.
Animals like tropical fish and lobster have begun northward in search of low temperature waters, which is also a problem.
Tropical fish are susceptible to parasites in warmer waters, and the species itself may weaken. Meanwhile, lobster eats randomly at random, so that the native species in the area where it is advanced will be at risk.
Maple syrup
The humidity in winter and the drying in the summer stress the sugar maple. Maple syrup is a product made from its sap.
The sugar maple does a telescopic process to make sap, but it requires a cold environment in winter. Although the timing of sap flow is already advanced due to the rise in temperature, according to some estimates it is possible that it will be as early as January by the end of the next century.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts that the maple syrup industry will go northward as the sugar maple is adapted to cold areas. In that case, there is a strong possibility that the maple syrup can not be made in Pennsylvania.
The US Forestry Authority also created the "Climate Change Tree Atlas" and showed that sugar maple will lose some of its habitat. Although absolutely not disappearing, the absolute amount of trees will be reduced, so production of maple syrup will also be affected.
beans
Beans are an important ingredient in Latin America and Africa. According to CIAT, the rise in temperature affects flowering and seed production, and production is reduced by 25%. In areas where beans are cultivated, the risk of catastrophic damage to crops increases due to excessive rain such as typhoons and floods.
"Beans are very sensitive to the climate," explains Jarvis of CIAT. It is because beans grow well in mountainous areas of East Africa because low temperature is necessary. Especially as the temperature rises at night, there is a high possibility that the production yield of the crop will be greatly affected.
Cherry
Cereals and other stone fruits need cold to make fruits. Too little cold nights will reduce the success rate of pollination. A large amount of cherries are harvested on the west coast of the United States, but if the temperature rises, flowering will be delayed and fruit production will also decline.
In most cases, if the temperature does not fall at an appropriate timing, it will be devastated. In 2012, the Michigan state cherry industry lost 90% of the crops due to the delay in the cold weather.
Grape for wine
Thanks to the rise in temperature, it is expected that demand for wine grapes will soon grow and prices will rise.
The 2013 study predicts that due to changes in temperature and humidity in Europe, Australia, North America, and South Africa, perfect wine grape making will be difficult in addition to winemaker's "global geographical major migration" are doing.
Probably the biggest impact is probably Australia, and by 2050 73% of the land will be a land unsuitable for production. California in the United States is estimated to be 70 percent.
There are also concerns about taste. Wine grapes like the heat, but there is still a limit. When it becomes extreme temperature, it becomes a state like thermal shock, the flavor changes greatly.
However, there are good aspects for this. In such an environment the sugar content rises, so the alcohol content increases at the final product stage. Even those who drink only to the extent they can afford can get drunk like when they drank a lot.
Vital Signs | The Guardian / translated by hiroching / edited by parumo
This year, it is only rainy in the summer, it seems to be very cold in the winter and the influence of the weather change seems to be a shame but is not it warmer than winter is too cold? Although I tend to think that there are also studies that Japan's cold winter is just a phenomenon caused by global warming.
As the ice in the Arctic Ocean melts and the sea ice area becomes smaller, the heat release to the atmosphere increases, and the atmosphere around the Arctic Ocean warms. It is said that the air pressure rises above the sky, the jet stream of the westerly wind is pushed up to the north side, the action to strengthen the Siberian high pressure works, the strong cold becomes easier to go south from the mainland to the Japanese archipelago.
There is also the theory that global warming will be reversely cold due to the global thermal salt circulation . If this thermal salt circulation decelerates due to global warming, it is said that the warm Mexico Gulf stream coming from the equator as a surface ocean current will not come and it will be cold.
It is only a hypothesis in the theory, but it seems that global warming is not stopping because it is cold.