Global warming could actually help crops, according to new research. Scientists have conducted a new study to see whether or not rising carbon dioxide levels may help crops and have found that warming temperatures may be key to the growth of agricultural products.
When it comes to global warming, researchers aren't sure whether carbon dioxide will help or hurt crops. It's possible that global warming will hit food crops with heat stress and extreme weather events. However, carbon dioxide may boost plants' productivity. In this latest study, the researchers decided to use newly available crop models and data from field experiments to answer the question of how global warming will impact agriculture.
Many other studies state that as temperatures rise, crops around the world will suffer as average temperatures become unsuitable for traditionally grown crops and droughts, heat waves and extreme bouts of precipitation become more common. But this may not completely be the case.
"Most of the discussion around climate impacts focuses only on changes in temperature and precipitation," said Delphine Deryng, an environmental scientist at Columbia University and one of the researchers involved in the study. "To adapt adequately, we need to understand all the factors involved."
Since 1960, average global levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have risen by more than a quarter. Levels are currently around 400 parts per million and are expected to continue increasing, along with temperature. Experiments done in the 1980s, though, show that higher levels of carbon dioxide in the air help plants build biomass.
In this latest study, the researchers looked at how rising temperatures and carbon dioxide, along with changes in rainfall and cloud cover, may combine to affect how efficiently crops can use water and grow. Surprisingly, the researchers found that when carbon dioxide is accounted for in addition to water stress and heat, crops will use water more efficiently by 2080.
The findings show that while crops may suffer initially, they'll eventually rebound. This is especially important to note when it comes to determining how agricultural practices will need to change as climate change continues.
The findings were published in the April 18 issue of the journal Nature Climate Change.
