Without global warming, total harvests of both crops (wheat and corn) would have been significantly larger than they were, the statistical analysis found. – Reuters Photo
WASHINGTON: Climate change has stunted the worldwide increase in corn and wheat yields since 1980 by 3.8 and 5.5 percent respectively, according to a new study in the journal Science.

Without global warming, total harvests of both crops would have been significantly larger than they were, the statistical analysis found.

The shortfall equals the annual yield of corn in Mexico, some 23 metric tonnes, and wheat in France, about 33 metric tonnes.

One of the country’s with the largest crop loss was Russia, where wheat production fell some 15 percent.

The study estimates that the global drop-off in production may have caused a six percent hike in consumer food prices since 1980, some $60 billion per year.

Net impact on rice and soybean was insignificant, with gains in some countries balancing losses in others, according to the study.

The researchers, led by David Lobell of Stanford University, noted one “startling exception”: the United States isn’t getting hotter, nor are its crop yields less than they might have been without climate change.

“The results are a reminder that while the relationship between crop production and climate change is obvious on a global scale, models that zoom in... on a country-by-country basis won’t necessarily see the same effects,”the researchers said in a press release.

To carry out the study, Lobell and colleagues compared two mathematical models, one tracking actual increases in temperatures and the other projecting 1980 temperatures over the next three decades.

Opinion

Editorial

Tribunals’ failure
19 Nov, 2024

Tribunals’ failure

THE election tribunals have let the nation down. Following one of the most contested general elections in recent...
Balochistan MPC
19 Nov, 2024

Balochistan MPC

WHILE immediate threats to law and order must be confronted by security forces, the long-term solution to...
Firm tax measures
19 Nov, 2024

Firm tax measures

FINANCE Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is ready to employ force to make everyone and every sector in Pakistan pay their...
When medicine fails
Updated 18 Nov, 2024

When medicine fails

Between now and 2050, medical experts expect antibiotic resistance to kill 40m people worldwide.
Nawaz on India
Updated 18 Nov, 2024

Nawaz on India

Nawaz Sharif’s hopes of better ties with India can only be realised when New Delhi responds to Pakistan positively.
State of abuse
18 Nov, 2024

State of abuse

The state must accept that crimes against children have become endemic in the country.