Several researches have been conducted on the issue of global warning to detect its effects on both our environments, lives and animals. Most of those researches have actually supported the need to reduce the global warming by fighting against greenhouse gases. The main arguments are “is it really true that global warming result in shortage of crop production?” The scientific questions will be answered based on researches.
The arguments to evaluate is that those global warming has any effects on food production. It is very important to note that global food markets have increased in a volatile mode recently. Increased in supply and demand simultaneously has contributed greatly to the instability being experienced by the markets. Factors such as the rising incomes, growing populations and biofuel policies also contribute to the changes that are being experienced in the sector. Demand will always be high especially as a result of increase in population of the world and the economic status of developing world which might not be improved so much if there are no changes.
Climatic changes highlighted by McMichael (2001) to affect terrestrial food yields include: effects of temperature on the physiology of the plants, moisture content of the soil with its effects on plant physiology, carbon dioxide fertilization effects, climatic influences on plant diseases occurrence and on crop losses via pest activities, damage to crops due to extremes of weather, and rise in the sea level which will be associated with the increase salination of the coastal land. These factors have been highlighted to be the most important effects climatic changes which were related to depreciation in the crops being produce. According to McMichael (2001), the link between those factors that impair food production is the global climatic changes resulting from global warming.
The paper actually specified a projection of more consequences of global warming being experienced at higher latitudes in the next few years while less effects at low latitudes. From the temperature to the changes in concentration of the Carbon dioxides down to sea level rise are all related to global warming. However, Gregory et al (2009) stated that more of reduction in food production that exist around are actually due to pest and pathogens issue and less of climatic changes. It was stated that the effects of climatic changes caused by global warming actually buffer the pest and create an enabling environment for those pests to perform their destructive activities. It was also stated that most models without consideration towards the role of pest when put into practical forms are actually deficient making researches based on such perspective insufficient.
Pest also has more ability to withstand those changes coming due global warming because they have the tendency for natural selection so as to maintain their population and survive any changes. When discussing climatic changes impact on food production, more emphasis are usually on long term effects and this makes it impractical in most circumstances. The issue with climatic changes and effect on pests is also a complex field that is yet to be fully understood.
The food model used by Furuya, Kobayashi and Meyer (2009) in their research, presented different views of effect of global warming on food production. Crop production in countries differs and factors influencing the production will also differ. Determinants relate more to technological development, population, temperature and rainfall. It was not clearly stated, the influence of the global warming on the food production because of all other factors that are not stable. Individual countries tend to have different path with different level of global warming effects.
Kanae (2009) highlighted the water crisis issues globally as a result of global warming. This was link greatly with the issue of water scarcity for agricultural products simply because global warming causes water reduction in some regions and excess in other areas. The implication of that is what relates to reduction in agricultural products in areas with reduction in water because plants dwell mostly on water. Too much water too results in destruction of plant products as in cases of hurricanes and major floods. The water issue that is getting worsening is related to global warming hence making global warming of a major threat to agricultural products globally.
Water is not the only player in crop growth determinant. The role of nutrient seem more important because there are even other means a plant can get water especially from precipitation. Hence when there are available nutrients for the plant that will not stop the growth even if there are shortages. But in the case of flood, that could actually contribute to reduce production because of the roles of the flood. Flood can actually wash the nutrient available in the soil away, expose the root so that plant can actually fell and carried away by flood especially seen rice, and maize plants.
Regional influence on crop yields are considered by (Parry et al) and the factors considered to be the major influencing factors are the temperature, precipitation effects, and direct physiological effects of CO2. Projected inferences were made using different models to evaluate likely carbon dioxide effects according to each region of the world. One major important results of their research was that which shows that CO2 is beneficial to crop yield. The physiological basis for this was not explained and there were regional differences in the yield despite increase concentration of the CO2
Agricultural products always differ with region, likewise the effects of global warming. Some countries are more mechanized than others. Different researches have been done as regards to all these issues but there is no conclusive evidence on the roles of the global warming as a sole factor resulting in lower crop output. This could be attributed to regional differences, the time lag for conducting the project, and the advancement of technology that is working against the production of greenhouse gases that are responsible for deterioration of ozone layers and causing global warming. The evidences gathered from this research, it can be concluded that pest plays an important role in crop production. However, they are not the sole determinant and I don’t think there is any major relationship between the roles of pest in agricultural products and global warming. Global warming might actually have effects on pests as it’s having on humans but there is no evidence suggesting that they tend to stimulate their role in crop production reduction.
Work cited
Cassman, Kenneth. Climate change, biofuels and global food security. 2007. Web. 2 December, 2011.
Furuya, J., Kobayashi, S., & Meyer, S.D. Impact of global warming on the world food market according to SRES scenarios. 2009. Web. 2 December, 2011.
Gregory et al. Integrating pests and pathogens into the climate change/food security debate. 2009. Web. 2 December, 2011.
Parry et al. Effects of climate change on global food production under SRES emissions and socio-economic scenarios. Global enviromental change. 2004. Web. 2 December, 2011.
Parry, Martin. The implications of climate change for crop yields, Global Food supply and risks of hunger. 2007. Web. 2 December, 2011.
McMichael, A.J. Impact of climatic and other enviromental changes on food production and population health in the coming decades. 2001. Web. 1 December, 2011.
