- Joined
- Aug 20, 2009
- Messages
- 40,853
- Reaction score
- 21,756
Beer Prices Could Double Because Of Climate Change, Study Says
""Under higher-warming climate scenarios, we find 100-year drought and heat events occur every three years, decreasing barley yields by an average 17 percent in those years, and increasing the price of a 6-pack in the U.S. by $1-8. Another way climate change will suck."
The effects described in the report are complex, as the researchers used several forecast tools — one to predict a range of climate scenarios, one for agricultural yields and another to see the economic conditions that would be a likely result. And as we've seen with the Earth's shifting climate, the predicted effects vary widely from region to region.
Under four different weather scenarios created for the years from 2010 to 2099, the world's barley growers would see "yield losses [that] range from 3 percent to 17 percent depending on the severity of the conditions," according to the study.
Beneath that overall impact, regional differences would be stark.
South America would fare poorly, as would many tropical areas. In China and the U.S., the barley yield is actually predicted to rise, but "not enough to offset the global decrease," the study says.
Climate change could reshape the barley and beer market, the researchers say, depicting a situation in which China, which currently drinks more Budweiser than the U.S., would scale back its beer consumption.
Whether the best- or worst-case scenario plays out, beer drinkers in Ireland, Canada, Poland and Italy are likely to see prices increase the most, according to the report. Beer-loving countries Belgium and the U.K. are also in the top 10."
I hope that's the last straw for enough people that we finally do something about this. People don't seem to care if 99% of all coral disappears from the ocean, but how you gonna feel if the cost of your proper 12 triples?
""Under higher-warming climate scenarios, we find 100-year drought and heat events occur every three years, decreasing barley yields by an average 17 percent in those years, and increasing the price of a 6-pack in the U.S. by $1-8. Another way climate change will suck."
The effects described in the report are complex, as the researchers used several forecast tools — one to predict a range of climate scenarios, one for agricultural yields and another to see the economic conditions that would be a likely result. And as we've seen with the Earth's shifting climate, the predicted effects vary widely from region to region.
Under four different weather scenarios created for the years from 2010 to 2099, the world's barley growers would see "yield losses [that] range from 3 percent to 17 percent depending on the severity of the conditions," according to the study.
Beneath that overall impact, regional differences would be stark.
South America would fare poorly, as would many tropical areas. In China and the U.S., the barley yield is actually predicted to rise, but "not enough to offset the global decrease," the study says.
Climate change could reshape the barley and beer market, the researchers say, depicting a situation in which China, which currently drinks more Budweiser than the U.S., would scale back its beer consumption.
Whether the best- or worst-case scenario plays out, beer drinkers in Ireland, Canada, Poland and Italy are likely to see prices increase the most, according to the report. Beer-loving countries Belgium and the U.K. are also in the top 10."
I hope that's the last straw for enough people that we finally do something about this. People don't seem to care if 99% of all coral disappears from the ocean, but how you gonna feel if the cost of your proper 12 triples?
