Friday, 28 July 2023

Grub Might Not Be Up?

The clue's in the name. It's called 'climate change' for a reason. Nutrition Insight carries an article about the potential impact on food security, of a disruption of the Atlantic Meridonal Overturning Circulation (AMOC) (https://test.nutritioninsight.com/news/severe-consequences-for-earths-climate-scientists-warn-of-food-supply-and-security-impacts-if-amoc-collapses.html). The AMOC is an ocean conveyor belt, moving water around the world. It basically drives heat North, through the Atlantic Ocean. A disruption or an (unlikely?) total collapse of the AMOC, would have severe climate consequences. The changes produced would alter global temperatures and rainfall patterns. That would, of course, have major impacts on agriculture and food production. Farmers need to be able to predict what they should plant and when they should do it. The AMOC is only one of the formerly 'reliable' energy flows, that have, until now, made weather comparatively predictable. There are also atmospheric currents. The effects of 'kinks' in the jet stream, should, by now, be evident to all in the Northern hemisphere. Record temperatures, with wildfires in some areas, unaccustomed cold and rain in others! Food security isn't the only thing we need to worry about but feeding people will get much harder.

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