Climate change may cause beer prices to rise or taste worse

by Nicolas Postiglioni

Beer is an alcoholic beverage that is loved all over the world, and it also knows that beer was paid as a salary from a salary statement of 5000 years ago, and it is also a beverage that has been drunk from a very long time. Beer that is familiar to many such people is reported as "There is a possibility that climate change may rise significantly or taste falls."

Decreases in global beer supply due to extreme drought and heat | Nature Plants
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-018-0263-1

Climate change could raise the cost of beer
https://mashable.com/article/beer-production-climate-change-barley/#JY9EuWj9qiqb

There are various ways to make beer, but the method of fermenting malt with beer yeast, which mainly germinated barley , is used. In early civilization barley was widely grown, and beer production has also been carried out since long ago. Such barley is cultivated by many farmers even today, and in fact it boasts hundreds of tons of harvested annually.

However, as barley is also a kind of plant, it will be affected by global environmental changes. It is said that global warming has various adverse effects on human life, but as part of it, as a result of thermal waves and droughts associated with global warming, the yield of barley has declined and there is considerable influence on beer production It is predicted.

"The extreme environmental changes are harmful to many cereals, barley is very familiar to many people, especially for beer-lovers, especially for beer lovers," said Colin Watters, director of the Montana State Wheat Barley Commission , It will be familiar cereals. " In October 2018, research teams in China, the U.K., and the UK submitted several scenarios on how climate change caused by this century will affect barley harvest.

by Pixabay

According to the scenario, if the same amount of greenhouse gases continue to be emitted in the future, the yield of barley is expected to decrease by 17% by the end of the 21st century. While the yield of barley is decreasing, the population of the world continues to increase, and it is also thought that the price of beer will soar from the relationship between supply and demand.

In the current USA, the case with six beer does not cost ten dollars (about 1100 yen), but in the future it seems that there is a possibility that the price will rise to the price of about 16 dollars (about 1800 yen). As a possibility, the research team pointed out that it could rise to as much as twice the current price or more. Nathaniel Mueller, who is studying the impact of climate change on the agricultural system at the University of California at Irvine , said, "In the world with many emissions of greenhouse gases all prices will rise like rockets" It was.

Over the years barley flourished under a stable climate, but the recent carbon dioxide amount, which is said to be highest in the past 800,000 years, may have a major impact on barley and farmers as well. It seems that the water circulation system will become extreme in high temperature climates, "Polarization will progress whether intense rain falls or not at all, as floods and droughts are both farmers And crops, "said Andreas Plain of the American Atmospheric Research Center .

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The problem is not limited to the point that the harvesting amount of barley drops due to heat waves and droughts. For barley to be used for beer, choosing a high quality one will affect the quality of beer itself. As Mr. Watters says "barley used for beer must meet certain growth conditions", it is said that barley for beer needs to contain less protein. However, because thermal waves and droughts tend to increase the protein content of barley, "Changes in the global environment may change the barley itself to a quality that is not suitable for beer, and the problem is that by reducing the yield alone There is nothing, "Watters said.

It is said that changes in climate will have a negative impact on crop yield and quality, already already pointed out for coffee. Mr. Plain says, "If we can grow coffee somewhere, that does not mean it is a solution, it is important whether we can make good quality coffee."

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While the worst-case scenario is assumed, the research team also insists that if the amount of greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced, there is little influence on beer production and quality. In other words, when the transition to renewable energy and worldwide cooperation are successful, it is possible to enjoy beer without any problems in the future.

Also, thinking about barley varieties may also result in future beer production. Ancient people find cultivars of barley varieties found in the land from among so many wild species, and when cultivating barley in newly different places of climate, also from different cultivars I found a variety suitable for that land and cultivated it. In recent years many varieties focused on harvest volume are cultivated, but it is also necessary to find varieties that can cope with various climates. According to Mr. Watters, an attempt has already been made to produce barley varieties that are already resistant to drought.

On the other hand, the beer industry is not just watching the changes in the global environment. In the event that barley can not be harvested, there is no choice but to produce beer from cereals other than barley, so a major beer maker like Budweiser has started trying to produce beer using alternative grains such as rice. Mr. Watters said, "Farmers and beer makers are praying for the best results, but we are preparing for the worst case as well."

by ELEVATE