Pirate's Cove

In 75 years, of course, when no one will remember the doomy prognostication and no one will be held responsible for them

Climate change could halve areas suitable for cattle, sheep and goat farming by 2100

A new study conducted at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) shows that grassland-based grazing systems—currently covering a third of Earth’s surface and representing the world’s largest production system—will see a severe contraction as global temperatures rise. Depending on the scenario analyzed, 36–50% of the land with suitable climatic conditions for grazing today will experience a loss of viability by 2100, affecting more than 100 million pastoralists and up to 1.6 billion grazing animals.

The study, published in PNAS, identifies a “safe climatic space” for cattle, sheep and goat grazing. To date, these agricultural systems have thrived within certain ranges of temperature (from ?3 to 29°C), rainfall (between 50 and 2,627 millimeters per year), humidity (from 39 to 67%) and wind speeds (between 1 and 6 meters per second).

“Climate change will shift and significantly contract these spaces globally, leaving fewer spaces for animals to graze. Importantly, many of these changes will be felt in countries that already experience hunger, economic and political instability, and higher levels of gender inequity,” commented lead author Chaohui Li, PIK researcher at the time the study was conducted and is now with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center.

Enough. It’s always something with this doomsday cult, but, how did grazing do during previous Holocene warm periods? Can they provide data? Plants like warmth. And CO2.