Sidmouth Climate Week: Thurs 23rd March >>> >>> >>> What are the impacts of climate change on food production locally and globally?

Climate Week is well under way:
Futures Forum: Sidmouth Climate Week: >>> What can we do about climate change?
Futures Forum: Sidmouth Climate Week: Tues 21st March >>> Is storage going to change our energy supply?

Another question to be addressed tomorrow evening at the Woodlands Hotel:

Climate and Food

Thursday 23rd March 2017 
7:00 PM –to 9:30 PM

Climate and Food Talks

The impact of climate change on food production locally and globally

Introduced by Professor Richard Betts, Head of Climate Impacts, Met Office and Chair in Climate Impacts, University of Exeter, with talks by 

> Fresh and Green, 

> Lyme Bay Wineries and 

> Sidmouth Trawlers

Venue: Woodlands Hotel, Station Road, EX10 8HG

A free event but donations welcome

Part of Sidmouth Climate Week 2017

Climate and Food | Sidmouth Science Festival

So, what are the impacts of climate change on food and farming?

We have seen the effects of bad weather on imports of fruit and veg from Spain:
Futures Forum: Empty shelves give food for thought...
Futures Forum: Brexit: and free trade in lettuce

The seasons are getting very unpredictable:
Futures Forum: Climate change: Spring advancing at an 'eye-opening' pace (2017)
Futures Forum: Climate change: 'season creep' and an early spring (2016)

Indeed, we can talk about 'tipping points':
Futures Forum: Environmental tipping points and the food system

Doing something about what we eat can, in turn, have an impact:
Futures Forum: Climate change: doing something about it >>> Ten ways to be unstoppable in 2017
Futures Forum: Climate change: debating the impact of what we eat >>> Costing the Earth @ Bristol Food Connections
Futures Forum: Climate change: and taxing meat
Futures Forum: Climate change: 'a balanced diet produces six per cent more greenhouse gas emissions than a typical meat-rich diet'
Futures Forum: Climate change: it's cool to be vegetarian

And how we farm:
Futures Forum: Low-tech farming
Futures Forum: Climate change: reducing greenhouse emissions from livestock
Futures Forum: Steps to sustainable livestock: and their impact on the climate and food security
Futures Forum: Food for fuel... anaerobic digestion... and farming in Devon

And how we use other resources:
Futures Forum: Climate change: and the Water, Energy and Food Nexus
Futures Forum: Climate change: "paying developing countries to halt tropical deforestation would be one of the most cost-effective ways to tackle global warming."
Futures Forum: The food industry and energy

Last year's Climate Week considered much of this here in Sidmouth:
Futures Forum: Climate Week in Sidmouth: The Climate Variety Show >>> Friday 11th March

And this week, food and climate change are very much in the news:
Changing climate could worsen foods’ nutrition | Science News
Climate change is more than a tech problem, so we need more than a tech solution | Opinion | Eco-Business | Asia Pacific
Sustainable development won't happen without climate change ...
Is the era of cheap food over? Food Ethics Council says not just yet

Here's an overview from the US Environmental Protection Agency:

Climate Impacts on Agriculture and Food Supply

On This Page:

• Overview
• Impacts on Crops
• Impacts on Livestock
• Impacts on Fisheries
• International Impacts

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Overview

Key Points

• Moderate warming and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may help some plants to grow faster. However, more severe warming, floods, and drought may reduce yields.
• Livestock may be at risk, both directly from heat stress and indirectly from reduced quality of their food supply.
• Fisheries will be affected by changes in water temperature that make waters more hospitable to invasive species and shift the ranges or lifecycle timing of certain fish species. 

Agriculture is an important sector of the U.S. economy. The crops, livestock, and seafood produced  in the United States contribute more than $300 billion to the economy each year.[1]  When food-service and other agriculture-related industries are included, the agricultural and food sectors contribute more than $750 billion to the gross domestic product.[2] 

Agriculture and fisheries are highly dependent on the climate. Increases in temperature and carbon dioxide (CO2) can increase some crop yields in some places. But to realize these benefits, nutrient levels, soil moisture, water availability, and other conditions must also be met. Changes in the frequency and severity of droughts and floods could pose challenges for farmers and ranchers and threaten food safety.[3]   Meanwhile, warmer water temperatures are likely to cause the habitat ranges of many fish and shellfish species to shift, which could disrupt ecosystems. Overall, climate change could make it more difficult to grow crops, raise animals, and catch fish in the same ways and same places as we have done in the past. The effects of climate change also need to be considered along with other evolving factors that affect agricultural production, such as changes in farming practices and technology.

Climate Impacts on Agriculture and Food Supply | Climate Change Impacts | US EPA
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