Saturday, December 15, 2012

Oh no! Not the pasta too


Previously in the projections of global warming, such luxury (to some people necessary) items as chocolate, coffee, and wine have been predicted to be significantly, negatively impacted by global warming.   Makes sense - they are all crops that are sensitive to weather.  Now, I'll bet wine will do OK, but maybe not all the varietals.  Coffee is notoriously sensitive to climate, and farmers are already giving up on some locations due to changes (notably moutain slopes that were cool enough but aren't anymore). The situation is somewhat similar for cacao beans, from whence cometh chocolate.

Now, there are projections that the wheat that makes semolina pasta will be affected by global warming.  All I can say is -- these global warming trends are making it really tough to be French or Italian.

Global warming could hurt pasta industry

"Of the three grains that make up the foundation of human diets -- wheat, corn and rice -- wheat is the most sensitive to high temperatures, Hertsgaard writes. "Wheat is a cool-season crop. High temperatures are negative for its growth and quality, no doubt about it," Frank Manthey, a professor at North Dakota State University, tells the magazine."


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