Global wheat yields would be ‘10%’ higher without climate change

The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looks at data on climate change and growing conditions for wheat and other major crops around the world over the past 50 years. 

It comes as heat and drought have this year been putting wheat supplies at risk in key grain-producing regions, including parts of Europe, China and Russia. 

The study finds that increasingly hot and dry conditions negatively impacted yields of three of the five key crops examined. 

Overall, global grain yields soared during the study period due to technological advancements, improved seeds and access to synthetic fertilisers. 

But these yield setbacks have “important ramifications for prices and food security”, the study authors write. 

Orla Dwyer

Read full article by Orla Dwyer in Carbon Brief