Farmers ‘May Not Be Able to Feed Australia’ in 2065 - ABC Rural (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
A group of Australian economists and scientists says Australia may not be able to feed its own population, let alone be a food bowl for the world, if global warming continues at its current pace.
The group is releasing a book this week called Four Degrees of Global Warming: Australia in a Hot World, which looks at the economic implications of global warming of four degrees in 50 years, as predicted under current carbon emissions.
One of the book’s authors, Professor David Karoly, of the University of Melbourne, says if that warming occurs, there’ll be an increased risk of heatwaves, bushfires and floods in Australia and farm production will decline significantly.
“It has major adverse impacts on almost every area and almost every aspect of agriculture in Australia, from heat stress on dairy cattle, heat stress on sheep, heat stress on beef cattle, reduced productivity in almost all grains as well,” said Professor Karoly.