Global warming will be a killer for agriculture, UW scientists say

Forget ice melting and sea-level rise. Global warming’s most pressing threat may be heat that wilts crops across much of the globe, says a UW scientist.

When searing heat waves blasted Western Europe in 2003, more than 50,000 people perished and harvests of corn, wheat and fruit fell by up to a third.

Imagine those temperatures being the norm over much of the world, and you’ll have an idea of what the future is likely to hold for agriculture


“I’m not worried about Greenland sliding into the sea. I’m not worried about sea levels going up,” said UW atmospheric-sciences professor David Battisti. Those changes will take several hundred years to unfold, he said, but the effects on agriculture will begin showing up within the next several decades.

“This is probably the most compelling reason why we need to deal with global warming.”

Seattle Times