Distribution of climate change effects within Asia



This chart (on Asian rice production) illustrates nicely how the negative impact of climate change will fall disproportionately on some regions. Note how rice production remains almost flat in Southeast Asia, while falling sharply in South Asia.

One less-publicized outcome of climate change is the likely positive effect on agriculture in some areas - think longer growing season, higher precipitation and higher temperatures in vast expanses of Canadian prairie and Russian steppe. One reason why climate change is not the top priority of Minnesota corn farmers, for example.

Lest you think this is OK, keep in mind that the tropical regions of the earth are by far the poorest, most densely populated, and most dependent on agriculture vs. other forms of economic activity. So while climate change's net effect on overall agricultural production may be a wash, the effect on actual people from a utilitarian perspective is far worse.

From Blog World Hunger.

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