Environmental Impact of Climate Change on Crop Production

Abstract

Obvious changes in our climate system are having a strong negative impact on crop yields. Besides the fact that the temperature of the air is changing, our agricultural fields are often exposed to severe weather conditions and higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. Extreme temperature and precipitation can considerably reduce crop yield. Also, in areas with high temperatures during the summer dealing with drought has become a challenge, and only in some places increased irrigation can be a solution. Various pests, weeds, and fungi thrive under warm and humid climates and enhanced CO2 levels. This requires more investment in pesticides and creates a potential threat to public health. Also, an increase of CO2 in the atmosphere is a threat to public health, because it also decreases the nutritional quality of most food crops. A higher concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can cause a lower content of essential minerals and proteins in wheat, rice and soybeans, and other plant species. Within this chapter, our aim is to present every aspect of the adverse effect of climate change on crop development with special emphasis on potential influence on human health. Evaluation of the influence of the climate change observed through recent studies presented that the most often result are yields decrease and yields variability increase, abundance, and distribution of pests, and nutritional value of crop grains. Furthermore, these effects have a massive influence on safe food production in both quantitative and quality approaches.