New UN Report Puts a Dagger Through Climate Deniers’ Favorite Argument

No, carbon dioxide emissions are not “good” for global food production.

It is true that higher carbon dioxide concentration has made parts of the world greener and can boost plant growth in some environments.  But scientists say the negative consequences of climate change on the agricultural sector far outweigh any benefits from this so-called “CO2 fertilization” effect.

“This argument about CO2 being good for us, good for the food system, is really pure lies and propaganda,” Sam Myers, a research scientist at Harvard University, told HuffPost. 

“When you combine the positive, small CO2 fertilization effect with the effect on temperatures and precipitation ― even if you don’t factor in more extreme events like heat waves, droughts, forest fires and all the other stuff that comes along with climate change ― you still get these relatively large negative effects on global crop yields,” he said. 

The IPCC report, co-authored by more than 100 experts from 53 countries, found that planetary warming to date has increased the yield of some crops, including corn and cotton, in higher-latitude regions, while yields of wheat, barley and other crops are on the decline at lower latitudes.  Areas of the tropics and subtropics are most vulnerable to crop declines in the future.  The panel also determined with “high confidence” that the “stability of food supply is projected to decrease” as extreme weather that disrupts food chains becomes more common.  Vulnerable populations are likely to be the hardest hit. 

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