Heat Extremes Threaten Crop Yields

Rampant climate change driven by ever-rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere poses a serious threat to world food supply, according to a new study in Environmental Research Letters.

The hazard comes not from high average temperatures, but the likelihood of heat extremes at times when crops are most sensitive to stress.  And the message is:  those communities that rely on maize as a staple are more at risk than most.

Heat Extremes Threaten Crop Yields