climate change

Responses

Adaption

Changing Agricultural Systems

Changing rainfall patterns and higher temperatures will affect the productivity of existing systems. It may be necessary to plant new crop types that are more suitable to the new climate conditions in an area, e.g. soya, peaches and grapes may be grown in southern England. Some ways that agriculture may need to adapt includes increasing irrigation in areas due to changing precipitation and changing the crops and varieties grown and the time of year they are planted, such as drought-resistant crops or switching to livestock production which tends to have more guaranteed returns. The cost of adapting to climate change is more difficult for poorer subsistence farmers. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization states that agriculture needs to be ‘climate-smart’ if it is to feed the world.

Managing Water Supply

Dry areas are predicted to get drier, leading to more water shortages - so people need to use water resources more efficiently. Water meters can be installed in people’s homes to discourage them from using a lot of water. Rainwater can be collected…