When I watch the news these days it seems like more and more of it is about extraordinary weather events. Record-breaking heat waves leading to wildfires and prolonged droughts currently dominate the news cycle globally.
People can debate why this is happening but the fact is that the 11 warmest years in the 176-year weather observational record have all occurred in the last 11 years (2015–2025). While the impacts are many, one that directly affects all of us is the damage to food production. Farming and agriculture are directly in the crosshairs of a changing climate.
Global warming disrupts farming by reducing crop yields, stressing livestock, straining water resources and threatening farmers’ livelihoods. The World Food Programme estimates that upwards of 360 million people are facing acute hunger. More than half of the continental U.S., including Minnesota, is facing drought conditions. UN assessments report that roughly one-third of the world’s land area is affected by long-term agricultural drought.
This is the present. But left unchecked, a warming planet literally becomes a life-or-death proposition if global and domestic agricultural supply chains face further stress.
It is not too late to do something about this. Tackling the climate crisis can include expanding the movement to renewable energy, continuing the shift to electric vehicles and keeping forests intact to naturally store carbon.
These and related initiatives will gain momentum if we vote for candidates who grasp the severity of the situation and will fight on our behalf. The clock is ticking.
Bob Hake, Rochester