BFD. 1 degree fluctuation is well with norms for temperature variations. And we had an excellent rice crop here in Arkansas.
On Wed, Dec 3, 2008 at 5:03 AM, Liberal mike 532 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > http://highway7.com/t_enviro/env_0312_food-water.html > The prospect of food and water scarcity emerges against a backdrop of > concern about global warming. New research by crop ecologists at the > International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines and at the > U.S. Department of Agriculture indicates that a 1-degree-Celsius rise > in temperature (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above the optimum during the > growing season leads to a 10 percent decline in yields of rice, wheat > and corn. With four of the past six years being the warmest on > record, > grain harvests are suffering. High temperatures lowered harvests last > year in India and the United States and scorched crops this year from > France to Ukraine. > > The new combination of falling water tables and rising temperatures, > along with trends such as soil erosion, has led to four consecutive > shortfalls in the world grain harvest. This year production fell > short > of consumption by a record 92 million tons. These shortages have > reduced world grain stocks to their lowest levels in 30 years. > > > If we have a shortfall in 2004 that is even half the size of this > year's, food prices will be rising worldwide by this time next year. > You won't have to read about it in the commodity pages. It will be > evident at the supermarket checkout counter. During the fall of 2003, > wheat and rice prices rose 10 percent to 30 percent in world markets, > and even more in some parts of China. These rises may only be the > warning tremors before the earthquake. > > > We can, however, take measures to improve world food security. We > could recognize that population growth and environmental trends > threaten economic progress and political stability just as terrorism > does. Since the overwhelming majority of the nearly 3 billion people > expected to be born during this half-century will be in countries > where water tables are already falling and wells are running dry, > filling the family planning gap and creating a social environment to > foster smaller families is urgent. > > > The situation with water today is new, but similar to that with land > a > half-century ago. Coming out of World War II, we looked toward the > end > of the century and saw enormous projected growth in population but > little new land to plow. The result was a concentrated international > effort to raise land productivity; boosting the world grain yields > from just over one ton per hectare in 1950 to nearly three tons > today. > We now need a similar global full-court press to raise water > productivity, by shifting to more water-efficient crops, improving > irrigation and recycling urban water supplies. > > > As it becomes apparent that higher temperatures are shrinking > harvests > and raising food prices, a powerful new consumer lobby could emerge > in > support of cutting carbon emissions by moving to a hydrogen-based > economy. It is a commentary on the complexity of our time that > decisions made in ministries of energy may have a greater effect on > future food security than those made in ministries of agriculture. > > > > > On Dec 3, 5:50 am, Travis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The only problems are the assaholla idiots who think we have > environmental > > problems and hinder every action to further develop this country and > thereby > > help other nations. The total bullshit idea of global warming is going > to > > do nothing but create a totallitarian state and do nothing to help > > anything. and everyone who thinks there is actually global warming is a > > total and complete idiot. > > > > On Wed, Dec 3, 2008 at 4:46 AM, Liberal mike 532 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > we have a segment of people in America " mostly Republicans " who > > > oppose environmental regulations . and anyone who doesn't agree with > > > them are labeled tree hugger , Lonnie liberals , hell we all know the > > > kind of labels conservatives and anti global warming activists > > > use . > > > But we are in the middle of a very real crisis that many people are > > > ignoring in the name of profits and big business first and all else > > > last ! we are setting ourselves up for a climate where water is sold > > > to the highest bidder because of shortages and world wide famine > > > because big corporations put profits above the human condition . as an > > > example of this On Dec. 3, 1984, more than 4,000 people died after a > > > cloud of gas escaped from a pesticide plant operated by a Union > > > Carbide subsidiary > > > in Bhopal, > > > India. > > > the people of Hatti are eating mud cakes because of > > > corporate greed and the trade rules we imposed on them when they > > > borrowed money from us . when will we wake up and realize we do not > > > live in a vacuum either in our neighborhoods , towns cities or > > > countries we are all interrelated . we must put aside our differences > > > and fix the damage we have done to planet earth before it reaches the > > > tipping point and we can't fix it ! > > > > -- > > *~@):~{>- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text - > > > -- *~@):~{> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. 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