1. Impacts of climate change on food production
David B. Lobell
Aug 6, 2008

2. Future CO2 for several emission scenarios
A1b
2 x pre-industrial B1

3. Projections for average global temperatures
IPCC, 2007

4. Average climate model projections of soil moisture change by 2080
IPCC, 2007

5. What will this mean for the crops we depend on?
Photosynthesis: CO2 + H20  sugar + O2
Most photosynthesis is called C3, but some plants have developed a mechanism to avoid photorespiration by concentrating CO2 in the leaf interior. This makes them more productive in very hot and sunny conditions, and less sensitive to changes in CO2
C3 crops: wheat, rice, soybean, barley, and most others
C4 crops: maize (corn), sorghum, millet, sugarcane.

6. Measuring the CO2 fertilization effect
FACE: Free-air CO2 enrichment (Long et al. 2006)

7. Summary so far
1) Higher CO2 will help crop yields, more so for C3 crops than C4 crops

8. Direct effects of climate change
The main effects of warming:
-faster rates of development (see below)
-faster rates of photosynthesis and respiration
-higher rates of evapotranspiration (important in dry regions)
-fewer frosts (important in cold regions)
“birth” “adolescensce” “adulthood” “death”
In a cooler year, this process can take ~10 days longer than in warmer year, which means 10 or more days to photosynthesize

9. Direct effects of climate change
-So warming can have some positive and some negative effects.
-The net balance differs depending on crop and location
-Overall, crops in most regions prefer cooler temperatures
Average Global Yields vs. temperatures,
Yield Change (%)
Temperature Change (ºC)

10. Summary so far
Higher CO2 will help crop yields, more so for C3 crops than C4 crops
Warming will reduce yields in most locations
Precipitation changes will be important in some areas, but projections of future precipitation are very uncertain.

11. Human responses to climate change
Farmers and scientists are not dumb
In response to these pressures, people are likely to adapt.
Two main types of adaptations
Trade
Management changes

12. Human responses to climate change
Trade
Cool nations “win”
Warm nations “lose”
One example of estimated impacts for 2x CO2 (from Cline 2007)

13. Human responses to climate change
2) Management changes
Red = no management changes
Green = “adaptation”
IPCC, 2007

14. Summary so far
Higher CO2 will help crop yields, more so for C3 crops than C4 crops
Warming will reduce yields in most locations
Precipitation changes will be important in some areas, but projections of future precipitation are very uncertain.
Adaptation will help to reduce impacts on global food production, assuming that poorer countries can afford to import food, that the right investments are made in new technologies, and that farmers implement adaptations quickly enough to avoid big losses. (Three big assumptions)
In tropical countries, impacts could be quite large (up to 50% losses) even in 20 years
For the globe, impacts are most likely small until ~2050 or 2xCO2. But if CO2 levels go much higher than 550 ppm, then effects could be quite large.

15. Future CO2 for several emission scenarios
A1b
2 x pre-industrial B1