There was an interesting report on the news yesterday…
It stated that in 2018 there was a minus of 30.000.000 tons of grain world-wide due to drought, over farming, crops grown for fuel and crops grown for meat production and of course the big one: Climate change. Either it´s a blip in global food production or the beginning of the end.
It looks like the winter of 2018/19 was far too warm and dry, in some local areas there was a lot of snow but not enough to be of much use to the water supply. There was also another report a few days earlier that areas in the north of Spain and central France are predicted to be heavily hit by drought this year. Add that to the traditional dry areas of Europe and things are not looking too good.


It puts things like the great wall of Trump or Brexit into perspective methinks.

__________________
Lummerland
Eine Insel mit zwei Bergen,
und im tiefen weiten Meer,
mit viel Tunnels und Geleisen
und dem Eisenbahnverkehr
nun wie mag die Insel heißen
ringsherum ist schöner Strand
jeder sollte einmal reisen
in das schöne Lummerland

Bad commute this morning?

Isn't the End this Friday?

Tom

As every morning.

Maybe, but perhaps definitely not totally sure if it could possibly happen or not.

Deep fried insects for lunch followed by a cockroach kebab for tea it is, then!

There was still plenty of rain in 2018 but it fell mostly at the wrong time and thus didn't benefit the crops. The up side is that this is pushing up the price of grain which is good for the farmers who are still making it.

There may have to be a shift towards more drought-tolerant varieties. Or more imports from areas not so affected.

We'll have to eat cake.

There was enough rain, just enough, but the tendency is heading downwards, IF (a big if) the summer of 19/20/21 etc. is consistent with 17 and 18 then we could be looking at a real problem.

Available at your local Migros https://migusto.migros.ch/de/topfges...ten-zum-znacht

Technology will step in and provide solutions long before it becomes a huge problem.


Population on Earth also started to cool off and go down as well. I guess we'll be fine, can't say the same for our children though.

Oodles and oodles of yonks ago when Slammer still went to school the conclusion of one of the topics was that this generation (1970ties) will be the last of the "good" generations after which there will be terminal decline.
Teacher said then that: "Technology will step in and provide solutions long before it becomes a huge problem!"
Ok, so where is all this brand spanking new technology that will solve all our problems?

Don't worry too much. Yes, certain places will suffer from agriculture point of view and no amount of technology can come up to save them that quickly. However, other places will flourish. Russia is already a behemoth on the world grain production scene, they are quite sophisticated and advanced. Global warming will open up millions of hectares of agriculture land. Your bread is safe

Your teacher was basically saying to Google it.

Actually Russia is melting, the permafrost is thawing out releasing gigatons of methene. Gonna get hot round here.

Well it beats the old maths teachers saying "you won't be walking around with a calculator in your pocket".

Methene is another name for methylene.

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Methene

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylene_(compound)

and doesn't even get a mention on Wikipedia's article on greenhouse gases

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas

Ja, aber:

Increasing concern over declining insect populations:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart...ade-180971474/

And a more nuanced discussion:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...nderstand-why/

Good article this one.

I have for many years been doing my part to help insects. Compost heap in the garden. A couple of old logs stacked up. Wild flowers. All things that help in a small way.

Well well well, we're all still hear and it's already lunchtime !