Heat may spark world food crisis

[Adsos Letter]

Source: BBC

Half the world's population could face climate-induced food crisis by 2100, a new report by US scientists warns.

Rapid warming is likely to reduce crop yields in the tropics and subtropics, according to Prof David Battisti of Washington University in Seattle.

The most extreme summers of the last century will become the norm, he calculates, using 23 climate models.

We must urgently create crops tolerant to heat and drought if we are to adapt in time, he writes in Science journal.

We're taking the worst of what we've seen historically and saying that in the future it is going to be a lot worse, unless there is some kind of adaptation.

"The stresses on global food production from temperature alone are going to be huge," said Mr Battisti, a professor of atmospheric sciences.

"And that doesn't take into account water supplies stressed by the higher temperatures."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7817684.stm