Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.
Tuesday, December 08, 2015
Climate Change Brews Perfect Storm of Food Woes
Climate change is on track to cause a lot of problems for the world's
farmers, and the worst hit will be those who are the least able to
recover. Though rising global temperatures are expected to negatively affect
agricultural production and food security in regions all over the world,
poor farmers and those living in the tropics will be most affected. But
if countries take steps to adapt to environmental changes, much of the
food security risk could be offset, according to a new joint report by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Center for Atmospheric
Research and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. "Never before has agriculture faced challenges of this magnitude.
We've all seen the statistics: nine billion people by 2050. Feeding
these new citizens will require at least a 60 percent increase in
agricultural productivity. We must do all of this in the face of climate
change that is threatening the productivity and profitability of our
farms, ranches and forests," wrote Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
in a statement. USDA released its latest report during
Vilsack's visit to the Paris climate talks last week. He noted that the
United States and the Department of Agriculture can lead by example by
helping farmers and ranchers adapt to the effects of climate change. USDA released its latest report during
Vilsack's visit to the Paris climate talks last week. He noted that the
United States and the Department of Agriculture can lead by example by
helping farmers and ranchers adapt to the effects of climate change. The consensus-based assessment pulls together research from 19 federal, academic, nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations, but stays away from offering policy recommendations. The researchers compared what would happen in either a low-emissions scenario where atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are around 421 parts per million by 2100, or a high-emissions scenario with atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide at 936 ppm by the end of the century. Under low emissions, temperatures would increase to 1 degree Celsius by 2050, then remain unchanged into the end of the century. With high emissions, temperatures would go up by 2 degrees by 2050 and 4 degrees by 2100. Changes in production capacity were among the most direct climate change impacts on food security globally...more
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