Cotton versus climate change: the case of Greek cotton production

Abstract

Through the last century, the increased greenhouse gases emissions altered the atmosphere’scomposition and resulted to the phenomenon known as climate change. Climate change threatens thesustainability of the agricultural sector in the Mediterranean region. Droughts and extreme heat waves willprobably become more frequent in the next few decades, thus maintaining sufficient yields in heat and droughtsusceptib le major crops will be challenging. In Greece, cotton is of paramount economic importance. Besidesthe fact that it is regarded as the most significant fiber crop, Greece is the main cotton producer of the EuropeanUnion. The aim of the present review was to examine the environmental factors that might affect cottonproduction in Greece and assess whether (or not) climate change has the potential to limit the productivity ofthis crop in the near future. According to the existing literature, cotton can adapt to the changing climate.Climate change-induced elevated CO2 levels and temperatures might even benefit cotton. The mitigation ofthe adverse effects of climate change is possible via the adaptation of site-specific agronomic practices. Asimplistic framework, based on the literature and the goals of the European Union, that aims to thepreservation of sufficient cotton yields in Greece is proposed in the present study