Coming on the heels of this week’s debate about the legitimacy of the global warming threat here on MNB, the Seattle Post Intelligencer reports that global warming could be disastrous for the US wine industry, with the land usable for growing premium wine grapes potentially reduced by more than 50 percent.
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences made the prediction, saying that “increasing weather problems for grapes in areas such as California's Napa and Sonoma valleys -- though grape-growing conditions might improve in coastal parts of Washington state.” The biggest problem is that an increase in hot days hurts the grapes, which need a consistent climate.
According to the Post Intelligencer, “a panel of climate scientists convened by the National Academy of Sciences reported last month that the Earth is heating up and ‘human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming.’
“The scientists said average global surface temperatures rose by about 1 degree in the 20th century. While that may not sound like much, many blame it for melting glaciers, weather changes -- perhaps even more hurricanes -- and threats of spreading diseases.”
The ongoing debate, of course, is whether human activities are responsible for the global warming trend, or whether it is just the natural evolution of the planet.
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences made the prediction, saying that “increasing weather problems for grapes in areas such as California's Napa and Sonoma valleys -- though grape-growing conditions might improve in coastal parts of Washington state.” The biggest problem is that an increase in hot days hurts the grapes, which need a consistent climate.
According to the Post Intelligencer, “a panel of climate scientists convened by the National Academy of Sciences reported last month that the Earth is heating up and ‘human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming.’
“The scientists said average global surface temperatures rose by about 1 degree in the 20th century. While that may not sound like much, many blame it for melting glaciers, weather changes -- perhaps even more hurricanes -- and threats of spreading diseases.”
The ongoing debate, of course, is whether human activities are responsible for the global warming trend, or whether it is just the natural evolution of the planet.
- KC's View:
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Mess around with the glaciers all you want. But start messing around with the source of some of the world’s best pinot noir, and serious questions have to be asked.
We know there will continue to be debate on this subject, and that the issue will not be settled here.
We’re willing to concede that some of the global warming is due to natural global evolution. But we don’t understand how people can think that all the crap we put into the environment every day cannot be having some effect. It seems more like denial than anything else.
