Environmental change has become one of the greatest and most pressing issues of the current world and climate change is making its mark on agriculture on our planet. The climate for earth is continuously changing predominantly because of an expansion in greenhouse gases, or ozone depleting substances, brought upon the earth because of the ventures by humans in the very limited amount of time that humans have been on earth, compared to how old this planet actually is. Relatively speaking, in 2019, it was stated that as our climate continues to heat up and the impacts of that warming grow more frequent and severe, farmers and farm communities around the world will be increasingly challenged. And US farmers won’t be spared the damage that climate change is already beginning to inflict. How exactly has climate change had a direct effect on agriculture in the United States or even globally and the meaning of impact of climate change on agriculture.
Furthermore, a numerous amount of scientist are trying to bring this climate change catastrophe to surface and get people to know that climate change is going to have an enormous effect on agriculture if people do not listen up. About 5 years ago, in 2014, it was said that climate disruption to agricultural production have increased in the past 40 years and are projected to increase over the next 25 years. By mid-century and beyond, these impacts will be increasingly negative on most crops and livestock. Why exactly do people choose to ignore the fact that climate change is happening and if not only people of a nation, but as a member of the world entirely choose not to notice and try to help, then there will be an irreversible effect on agriculture. Why would people even bother take a second look or even to care about climate change? There are quite a few reasons on why one should try to anything they can to help, two reasons being that agriculture produces food for people to eat and agriculture is a vital part of the United States economy. In 2019, it was expressed that Farming is a key pillar of the U.S. economy, U.S. farms accounted for $136.7 billion contribution to the overall economy (in 2015 numbers) and 1.4% of employment. Also, roughly 50% of revenue is generated from livestock production. Additional food and agriculture sectors contribute 4.74% of Gross Domestic Product (Forbes 6/26/2019). Now what will climate change actually do to agriculture? In 2016, it was voiced that changes in temperature, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather could have significant impacts on crop yields. More extreme temperature and precipitation can prevent crops from growing. Extreme events, especially floods and droughts, can harm crops and reduce yields. How can one avoid making this catastrophe worse than it already is? In 2019, it was stated that To meet that temperature target, global greenhouse gas emissions will need to fall by 40% to 50% in the next decade. Scientists say the only way to achieve that reduction is to significantly increase the amount of land that's covered in trees and other vegetation and significantly reduce the amount of methane and other greenhouse gases that come from raising livestock such as cows, sheep and goats (NPR 8/8/2019). As people on this planet, a further step should be taken or at least thought of when it comes to helping end climate change on earth.
In conclusion, climate change is making an impact on many things, but one thing people should be most concerned about is agriculture. Agriculture is a major part of the economy for the United States and it also is a major part of the food industry. There are many steps that can be taken to help prevent this climate change getting any worse than it already is, but people need to take notice. If people do not choose to help this crisis, then the world will have a serious problem years from now.
