Agricultural commodities and climate change

Kirsty Lewis and Claire Witham

Climate Policy, 2012, vol. 12, issue sup01, S53-S61

Abstract: The agricultural commodity market is sensitive to variations in weather and climate, which can disrupt supply and cause price fluctuations. Some of the key positive and negative impacts of climate change on agricultural commodities, using the examples of wheat and barley, are identified; of particular significance are temperature changes, water availability, and CO 2 fertilization. Although they are not exempt from the negative impacts of climate change, higher latitude regions of production, including Canada and Russia, will benefit the most from climate change. The impacts on other important production regions, such as parts of Europe, the US, and Argentina, will be more mixed. Market stability in all regions will also be affected by changes in climate and weather extremes. To increase resilience to the effects of weather events and climate change on the agricultural commodity market, countries should diversify their sources of supply, encourage more countries to grow and export the relevant commodities, and support crop research and climate adaptation. Policy relevance Climate change will substantially affect future food security and the price of agricultural commodities. This study takes a broad approach to identify the key aspects of the agricultural commodities market that are vulnerable to climate change and suggests ways in which policy makers might improve its resilience.

Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2012.728790

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