Climate security

Study: Climate Change Threatens Major Crops in California

California currently provides two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts, but according to a new studypublished Tuesday, by the end of the century California’s climate will no longer be able to support the state’s major crops, including orchards.

The report, published in “Agronomy,” warns that the increased rate and scale of climate change is “beyond the realm of experience” for the agricultural community, and unless farmers take urgent measures, the consequences could threaten national food security.

“For California, as an agricultural leader for various commodities, impacts on agricultural production due to climate change would not only translate into national food security issues but also economic impacts that could disrupt state and national commodity systems,” the report warns.