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A lot of people claim that climate change is a hoax or it is made up, but there is scientific evidence to prove that the emission of Greenhouse gases into the atmosphere blocks infrared radiation from leaving the earth’s atmosphere, basically tapping heat in the planet, therefore creating a greenhouse effect which warms up the planet. This warming of the planet is what creates climate change, which can cause a variety of problems on Earth, like amplified coastal erosion, melted ice caps and glaciers, food supply disruption, extreme weather conditions, altered ranges of some diseases, and also extreme heat waves. Some of these changes have already begun to occur and will only worsen as time goes on if no action is taken against climate change. Now what are these Greenhouse gases? They come from a lot of our daily activities, the main one being the burning of fossil fuels, other include deforestation, Electricity usage, transportation, forest degradation, waste, power plants, and a lot more. All these and more are what produce the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Transportation, water, wildlife, energy, ecosystems, human health, and agriculture, are some things that are affected by climate change. Most especially Agriculture and human health because these are two very valuable things in our everyday lives.
Agriculture is highly dependent on Climate, Increases in Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere and in the temperature can help increase crop yields in some areas while having the opposite effect in other areas. An increase in temperature affects crops based on the crops' optimal temperature for growth and reproduction, this might mean more yield in some cases or might result in a decline in yield if the temperature rises beyond that point of optimal temperature for growth and reproduction. Climate change can cause extreme temperatures and precipitation which will then prevent crops from growing. An increase in the CO2(Carbon dioxide) concentration in the atmosphere also reduces the concentration of protein and other important minerals in food crops thereby causing them to lose nutritional value and this poses a threat to human health. Heat waves, droughts, and parasites are also Climate change factors that threaten the lives and health of livestock. Though Agriculture is highly affected by climate change, it also contributes to it. About 18 percent of Global Greenhouse gases are produced by agriculture. This is because of the processes food goes through before reaching our plates, food is first produced, stored, processed, packaged, transported, and prepared before being served to us. Each of these stages of food provision releases Greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Methane is a Greenhouse gas produced by livestock during digestion and is released through belches. This emission of greenhouse gases can be reduced by more efficient use of fertilizers, the decline in livestock numbers, and better manure management. Methods used in transporting food from farmers to consumers also contribute a high amount of Greenhouse gas to the atmosphere. On estimate in the United States, meals travel about 2400 kilometers to go from the farmer to the plate of the consumer, this is a huge concern because of the large amount of fossil fuels used to transport the produce it is estimated that we currently put almost 10kcal of fossil fuel energy into our food system for every 1 kcal of energy we get as food. Now this doesn’t mean we should stop the transportation of food entirely because that is impossible, we could just choose different ways of transport in getting our food because different transportation methods affect the atmosphere differently or less, we could also eat locally grown foods which will reduce the amount of food being transported, eat seasonal foods or even grow our own gardens.
With Climate Change not being a reversible thing farmers have to find a way to adapt to the circumstances if they want to keep supplying food to consumers. Farmers are used to planning for weather uncertainties but Climate change brings new extreme weather conditions that they are not used to managing. While some aspects of Climate change like longer frost-free seasons, increases in growing degree days, and increased atmospheric CO2 are said to be beneficial to some crops and increase crop yield, the other aspect which is frequent extreme weather events will affect the Agricultural industry negatively. Events like later frost, excess rainfall in the harvest season, or extended droughts can get rid of any of these benefits of Climate change. The best solution to climate change for farmers and everyone else would be mitigation and adaptation.
Mitigation of Climate Change means reducing the seriousness or severity of its effects and this is done by reducing our emission of greenhouse gases. Farmers alone can’t tackle climate change, it will take global involvement to tackle the issue of climate change and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we emit. There are plenty of things to be done if we are to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions globally, the number one thing to be done is to start the use of more clean renewable energy to power things in our daily activities like cell phones, home appliances, and offices. Some renewable energy sources are solar energy, hydropower, ocean wave and tidal energy, waste, and biomass energy, and geothermal wind turbines. These types of energy sources are renewable and do not release any type of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. We also need to get vehicles to burn less or no fossil fuels, electric cars, and hybrid cars are great examples of these. We could also switch to a more plant-based diet and create more carbon sinks. Carbon sinks are places where carbon dioxide is pulled out of the air. Things like forests, grasslands, peatlands, and wetlands are examples of carbon sinks, this is why deforestation is an unjust act to the earth and why we need to conserve forests. These changes to our lifestyle to adapt to and reduce climate changes have to be backed up by important people in society, people of leadership. These people have the responsibility to lead us in the fight against climate change. These people are state leaders, presidents, and corporation business leaders. These people have the responsibility of reducing and preventing climate change in their region and globally and encouraging or helping to develop states countries and businesses to do the same. They are also responsible for making laws to address climate challenges and providing appropriate funding for programs that help stop and reduce climate change. For instance, The Clean Air Act provides the foundation for many existing climate policies. An economy-wide, market-based approach to climate change would require Congress to enact new laws and rules. Countries, states, and Corporations must also be cautious that in their efforts to address climate change, they do not resort to measures that directly or indirectly violate human rights.
All being said, the vulnerability of farming to climate change could threaten food provision for millions and millions of people globally and this is what makes Climate change a very important global issue. Agricultural adaptation and mitigation are necessary to create a sustainable future for not only Canada’s farms but for all farms globally, and the rest of society has a fundamental role to play in supporting the development of the resilient agricultural systems so necessary to us all. This is an opportunity for agricultural producers to demonstrate climate leadership.
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