Cornell University, the
University of Maryland (UMD), and Stanford University have worked
together to quantify the man-made effects of climate change
on global agricultural productivity growth for the first
time.
Using a robust model of
weather effects on productivity, the study showed a 21% reduction
in global agricultural productivity since 1961, which according to
the researchers is equivalent to completely losing the last seven
years of productivity growth. The results also suggest that global
agriculture has become more and more vulnerable to ongoing climate
change effects, with warmer regions such as Africa, Latin America,
and the Caribbean being hit the hardest. The study found that
these areas have already experienced slows in growth of 26-34%,
while the United States seems to be less affected, with slows in
growth of approximately 5-15%.
According to Robert
Chambers, professor in Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC)
at UMD, their study suggests that climate and weather-related
factors have already had a large impact on agricultural
productivity. Economist Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, associate professor in
the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
said the slowdown is equivalent to pressing the pause button on
productivity growth back in 2013 and experiencing no improvements
since then. He added that anthropogenic climate change is already
slowing us down.
UMD
Collaborates to Quantify How Climate Change Has Slowed
Agricultural Productivity Growth Worldwide | College of
Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Maryland