Global Warming just made your donuts cost more. (Wheat supply)

[skids]

Pilfered this from the daily SMW thread:

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - From Australia to Argentina, erratic weather is slashing wheat crops of the major producers, which is threatening to push up prices to multi-year highs and making it difficult for countries to replenish stocks.

The United States had one of the hottest summers since the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s. The U.S. Agriculture Department has forecast output will fall 14 percent to 1.80 billion bushels, the smallest crop in four years. The USDA expects the drought to push U.S. prices to its highest levels in 10 years.

Meanwhile, Australia's production is expected fall up to 30 percent from last year's 25 million tonnes due to dry weather and Europe also expects a lower wheat crop following a sweltering summer. This, coupled with rain in the final harvest stages, has downgraded a substantial amount of wheat to feed quality.

Canada, also plagued by hot weather, expects its wheat output to fall to 25.9 million tonnes from 26.8 million in 2005. Argentina, which last year produced 12.5 million tonnes of wheat, has repeatedly lowered its forecast due to dry weather but has yet to issue a forecast.

http://www.ndtvprofit.com/homepage/news.asp?id=265405

[phantom power]

1. PS, the four horsemen say "Hi!"

[phantom power]

2. Oh, wait wait!

Greenland will save us! (Soon to be followed by Antarctica, no doubt. The new bread-basket of the world!)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=66044&mesg_id=66044

[Viking12]

3. No silly. Nukes are gonna save us.

Aren't you paying attention? And you'll never even have to change your lifestyle. Just say yes to nukes and, you too, can continue living a conspicuously consumptive lifestyle.:think: :thumbsup:

[phantom power]

4. Heh. Nukes will only save us if we build them fast enough.

And then, only if coal and gas plants are actually decommissioned because of it.

Actually, that's still too optimistic. Even if we magically cut worldwide GHG emissions to zero--tomorrow--the current warming trend would continue for decades. More than long enough to move us into a new climate phase basin. The biosphere we know and love is history. Now the open question is whether we will be able to live in the new one.

[bananas]

5. Cops are gonna be pissed. nt

[kestrel91316]

6. I suppose we could look on the bright side. A lot of Americans

(me included) could use a few less carbs in our diet.

I LOVE those Krispy Kremes, but they are not really an appropriate choice for anyone's diet on a regular basis.

What I DID notice was how horribly expensive a loaf of decent bread has gotten at Whole Foods (where I do not normally shop due to $$).

It's not famine, per se, but this is the sort of thing we can expect more of. Food getting lots more expensive.