The EPA has published a report on Climate Change and Water Resources that details a number of areas of concern for agriculture.
The increase in global temperatures, even by a couple of degrees, causes more water to be evaporated from the earth and held in clouds in the atmosphere. When we have rain, it’s more water being dropped faster, leading to flash floods, silt, and crop damage.
More extreme weather is expected, and areas currently experiencing drought are expected to continue the drought conditions, while areas that have become flood prone are going to continue to experience increased flooding.
The coastal areas will have saltwater incursion into previously freshwater rivers and lakes.
Scientists are in general agreement that these changes to the water system are going to continue, rather than resume cyclical weather patterns as is traditional. They also are in general agreement that the engine driving the disruptions to the water system is climate change.
But what, exactly, is happening? What is causing climate change? Carbon emission in the atmosphere, called Greenhouse Gases, are acting like a nice warm quilt over the earth in the middle of summer. Greenhouse gases are typically manmade.
The impact on agriculture is of particular concern. Heatwaves over the last few years in drought-impacted ranchlands has decreased feed and grazing lands, and caused loss of livestock from heat stroke. Areas flood-prone are experiencing significant crop loss from flooding, and extreme weather has been responsible for crop loss all over the country.
Increases in temperature will impact crop growth and productivity, but even more worrisome is the projected increase in losses from weeds, pests, and fungi, which will thrive. Increases in parasites and disease will impact livestock.
What can be done to protect agriculture and the rest of the planet from the effects of climate change? Agricuture is in the unique position to directly and significantly impact the amount of carbon moving into the atmosphere. Scientific American has some ideas about changing forestry and farming practices.
Regenerative Agriculture is working to sequester carbon in the soil, rather than having it released into the environment, while still providing food crops. Permaculture is another agricultural practice that has a working plan for addressing climate change.
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