Brazil faces drop in crops

Country's status as world's major producer and exporter of food could be severely threatened unless its farming methods are urgently adapted to take account of climate changeHigher temperatures, drastic changes in rainfall, lower productivity, more blight and disease − these are just some of the expected consequences of climate change in Brazil if the projections of 345 scientists who make up the Brazilian Panel on Climate Change (PBMC) prove true.They predict that if present trends in greenhouse gas emissions continue, average temperatures in Brazil will be 3º-6ºC higher by 2100 than they were at the end of the 20th century.Rainfall patterns could change drastically, increasing by up to 30% in the south and south-east of the country, while diminishing by up to 40% in the north and north-east.The forecasts, based on research over the past six years, are contained in a report that provides the most complete diagnosis yet of the future tendencies of the Brazilian climate.The report will be presented at Brazil's first national conference on global climate change, to be held in São Paulo from 9-13 September and organised by the publicly-funded São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). The data will then be included in the fifth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to be released two weeks later.The changes in temperature and rainfall will not be confined to Brazil, the largest country in South America, but will also affect neighbouring countries."Wi...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Tags: theguardian.com Farming Food security Brazil Climate change Editorial Agriculture Environment Source Type: news