Yields from some of the most important crops begin to decline sharply when average temperatures exceed about 30 degrees Celsius, or 86 Fahrenheit. Projections are that by the end of this century much of the tropics and subtropics will regularly see growing season temperatures above that level, hotter than the hottest summers now on record. An international panel of scientists writing in the Feb. 12 edition of the journal Science is urging world leaders to dramatically alter their notions about sustainable agriculture to prevent a major starvation catastrophe by the end of this century among the more than 3 billion people who live relatively close to the equator. Specifically they urge world leaders to ‘get beyond popular biases against the use of agricultural biotechnology,’ particularly crops genetically modified to produce greater yields in harsher conditions, and to base the regulations of such crops on the best available science. ‘You’re looking at a 20 percent to 30 percent decline in production yields in the next 50 years for major crops between the latitudes of southern California or southern Europe to South Africa,’ said David Battisti, a University of Washington atmospheric sciences professor. He is a coauthor of […]