Global warming is not a hoax. I firmly believe that humans are making choices that are negatively changing the environment. Yet, according to a recent study done by a group of professors from around the country, two-thirds of farmers in Wisconsin believe that climate change is just a natural change in weather.
The results amaze me because of the obvious impact that climate change has on plants and nature. The people who make their living off of nature, the farmers, are the ones that doubt that the recent droughts, heat waves, freezes and other phenomena are natural changes that have only just begun to exponentially increase. Farmers are caretakers for 61 percent of the nation’s land. Yet in Wisconsin only 42 percent believe humans are affecting climate. In the study, researchers concluded that many farmers do not see slight temperature increases as evidence for global warming, but accept large events of weather that decimate crops as evidence. However, a single one of those events can completely revolutionize the agricultural production of those farmers.
Before 1990, the southwest corner of Australia was one of the top producers of rice in the world until the drought that year. This drought ravaged the local farmers’ crops so badly over the last 20 years that growers had to convert their farms and equipment to growing a friendlier crop, grapes, which is why Yellow Tail Wine has appeared. Even though the drought is over in that region, the farmers have no incentive to return to the previous crop. Thus, the world has lost a huge percentage of its rice production.
The global temperature has increased 1.5 degrees since 1900 and is on track to increase anywhere from 3 to 9 degrees by 2050. While that might not seem like it will have a huge environmental impact, crops are temperature sensitive. A temperature change has direct effects on the rate of evaporation and the amount of water that is evaporated. Heavier rains mean more nutrient depletion in the soil, requiring more crop rotation and resulting in lower yields from the depleted soil. While warmer average temperatures also mean that farmers can plant summer crops earlier, resulting in a longer growing season due to the high temperatures that persist longer, they also mean more frequent watering is required to keep the plants healthy. Overall, this may seem like a benefit until temperatures rise too much, and at the peak of summer crops die on the vine. Or until temperatures never get low enough in the winter to encourage germination, and no plants grow at all.
UW agriculture and applied economics professor Paul Mitchell said while diverse populations often hold a wide array of beliefs, farmers in Wisconsin, Mississippi, Texas and North Carolina all held similar beliefs on the credibility of global warming. These states are all also currently strong Republican strongholds. The denial of climate change seems more of a political denial than something rooted in an observance of nature. That is silly considering we all live on Earth regardless of political preference. Sustainability is crucial to protect our planet. Oil will run out, wooded areas will vanish as we push city boundaries into forests, biodiversity will decrease as habitats shrink and animals disappear. Protecting our planet is an urgent concern, and those that have the strongest connection to the Earth, in addition to many in power, don’t believe it needs defending. Sustainable farming goes beyond just caring for the land; it also means taking measures to protecting the land.
We consumers can also participate in the effort to combat global warming by trying to eat local, which cuts down on transportation and refrigeration energy. Eating local is something that could easily be done in an agriculturally rich state like Wisconsin. The Dane Country Farmers’ Market is one of the best in the country and a wonderful example of eating local. Accountability is crucial. We need to be making more environmentally conscious choices of what products we buy, what we take from the Earth and what we don’t return. Mother nature has taken care of us thus far, but one day she might give out and we will be alone and never have developed the self-sustainability to survive.
Abigail Zemach ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in food science.
