China’s top meteorologist predicts China will need to “add” 10 million hectares of arable land over the next two decades to compensate for losses to grain production caused by global warming. From China Daily:
“Global warming may cause the grain harvest to fall by 5 to 10 percent, that is by 30-50 million tons, by 2030,” said Zheng Guoguang, head of the State Meteorological Administration.
And since the population is expected to peak at 1.5 billion in 2030, 200 million more than now, the country would need to produce an additional 100 million tons of food to feed them. [Full Text]
The article quotes Zheng as predicting major falls in corn and rice production but a possible increase in wheat harvest. No explanation for the difference is offered.
[Image: Farmers harvest rice near Guilin, by Yewenyi via Flickr]