Climate change is messing with the food you love and need, big time.
Contributed by Michael P. Hoffman, Cornell University. Originally written for Cornell Press.
Climate change is messing with the food you love and need, big time.
Most of us are fortunate to be able to go to a restaurant and order dinner from a long list of choices on the menu. There are the delectable beverages to wet the appetite, salads aplenty, main courses and sides, and dessert and coffee options.
But everything on the menu is changing and that is what Our Changing Menu: Climate Change and the food we love and need, is all about. Climate change is affecting the foods we love and need in subtle and sometimes ominous ways and it all starts with a plant—the basis of life. Whether a tomato plant, giant redwood, or apple tree to flourish and grow it needs water, the right temperature, soil, air, and sunlight. However, it’s all changing except, sunlight.
As the climate continues to change some regions of the world will have adequate water and others far from it, reducing crop production. In the northeast US, downpours are increasing washing away soil and nutrients. It’s also getting warmer, with some surprising twists. Nights are warming faster than days and cold months warming twice as fast as warm months of the year. These changes have dramatic effects on crop yields. There is also a lot more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and it’s climbing. This can actually increase yields, but any gain is expected to be offset by more extremes in weather. Weeds will likely get harder to control and the nutritional quality of major crops will decline, to mention just a few changes described in Our Changing Menu.
What’s changing on the menu? Let’s start with the grapes used to make one of our favorite beverages—wine. Warmer conditions can result in higher sugar levels, different aromatic compounds, and lower acidity levels, all of which can affect the quality of the wine. Moving on to salads, lettuce may be more tasty and in a couple of decades, and California will produce 40% less avocados because it’s getting too hot. Instead of your favorite fish as the main dish, in future years you may see far more octopus and squid on the menu since they do much better in the warming oceans. The meat on your plate may be meatless or even cultured from scratch. And your side dish—a spud— may be shorter, because it’s too hot and dry. Finally, that chocolate cake for dessert will likely be pricier because the supply of cacao from Western Africa, has dried up. Everything on the menu is changing, but despite the enormity of the challenge, there is hope.
Our Changing Menu describes how scientists around the world are developing crops that are more climate change resilient. For example, scientists in England are partnering with colleagues in Costa Rica to help develop more resilient cacao plants. Researchers with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service are finding ways to help farmers adapt to the new conditions and minimize their contributions to climate change. Our universities are deeply involved as well, in many cases working directly with farmers to find practical solutions to the ever-increasing challenges posed by climate change.
Farmers are adopting climate smart practices that maintain the health of the soil and manage water better, as well as pests. They are diversifying their crops where feasible to ensure that they still have an income even if some crops are lost due to severe weather and using computer programs to help optimize crop production. Finally, they are using less energy and producing much more renewable energy than in the past. There is a long way to go, but progress is being made by the stewards of the land.
The authors of Our Changing Menu close with guidance for all of us—what we can do. This includes becoming better informed about the science of climate change, the impacts it is having, and how to talk about it. Shifting to a more plant-based diet is also very helpful along with reducing food waste. But it’s not just all about food, do we all need to fly, drive, heat, cool, and consume so much? We each need to assess our entire carbon footprint.
Finally, Our Changing Menu encourages us all to get involved. Engage policymakers, raise our voices, be an activist, and be courageous. If we join forces—consumers, farmers, chefs, restauranteurs, retailers, and many others it could be transformative.
If you eat and care about the future of humanity, read this book.
(If you are interested in purchasing the book, there is a 33% discount promo code (09SAVE) if ordering from Cornell Press)