Greenhouse gas effects on wine production could be significant
APR 10, 2013
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.026917
Los Angeles Times : Grapes used to make wines are very sensitive to climate, which limits wine production to relatively small regions of the world. An international group of researchers modeled the effects of more than 100 predictions for greenhouse gas production over the next 50 years. They found that greenhouse gas effects could reduce viticulture-suitable lands in current wine-producing regions 20% to 70% by 2050. Grape-producing regions would likely shift to higher latitudes. Reduced production would likely increase wine costs as well, and bringing in extra water to cool vines in warmer regions could further alter local ecosystems. Cost increases, however, could be mitigated by the development of new climate-tolerant grapes or techniques to maintain current vineyards.
© 2013 American Institute of Physics
