This Week's Herman Trend Alert

Nail-Painting Robot Coming
to a Salon Near You

 

  The Herman Trend Alert

December 11, 2019

Waves in the Jet Stream put Global Food Production at Risk

Once the climate wheels were in motion, it was bound to happen; it is just that no one expected it to occur so soon. In a brand-new study out this week scientists demonstrate how large atmospheric wave patterns greatly increase the chance of more heatwaves in food-producing regions worldwide---more specifically in Northern America, Western Europe, and throughout Asia.

The Risk is Serious
Published in the respected journal Nature Climate Change, this new study ("Amplified Rossby waves enhance risk of concurrent heatwaves in major breadbasket regions") finds that these simultaneous heatwaves will significantly reduce crop production across those regions. In our interconnected world, this reduction will create the risk of multiple harvest failures with numerous far-reaching consequences, including social unrest. Moreover, this situation is likely to lead to spikes in food price and affect food availability even in areas not directly affected by the heatwaves.

Greenhouse Gasses are Fueling this Rise in Temperatures
According to the study's lead author, Dr. Kai Kornhuber from the University of Oxford's Department of Physics and Colombia University's Earth Institute, "Co-occurring heatwaves will become more severe in the coming decades if greenhouse gases are not mitigated." The scientists found a "20-fold increase in the risk of simultaneous heatwaves in major crop-producing regions when these global-scale wind patterns are in place." Up to this point, no one had seen this major vulnerability in the food system because the interconnections had not been quantified.

A Primer on Jet Stream Waves
The Northern Hemisphere's polar jet stream is a fast-moving band of winds coming from the West that navigates the lower layers of the atmosphere. The stream of winds is created by the coming together of cold air from the Arctic and rising warm air from the tropics. The jet stream's wavy appearance is produced when the heavier cold air sinks and pushes warm air regions north, giving the jet stream its wavy appearance. This pattern spreads across the mid-latitudes of North America, Europe, and Asia. Plus from time to time, "fingers" of cold air come down from the Arctic; this condition creates corresponding waves and flows that rush eastward with the rotation of the Earth. The regions that are particularly susceptible to these atmospheric patterns are Western North America, Western Europe, and the Caspian Sea; these regions get heat and drought locked at the same time and crop yields are negatively affected.

The Past Does Not Equal the Future
According to one of the co-authors of the study Dr. Dim Coumou from the Institute for Environmental Studies at VU Amsterdam usually low harvests in one area are offset by good harvests elsewhere. However, these jet stream waves can adversely affect harvests in several important breadbasket regions at the same time, thus creating risks to global food production.

The Trajectory Does Not Look Good for Agriculture
The production of greenhouse gases does not appear to be slowing down, except in rare countries like Costa Rica that are committed to using alternative energy. If the levels continue to rise, there is little doubt that worldwide populations will be affected. It does not matter whether we are in a 5000-year cycle, if heatwaves cause havoc for farmers across the globe. If we know that rising levels of greenhouse gases will cause these major disruptions, we must take action now to prevent them! That said, I am not optimistic that these actions will be taken; I hope I am wrong about this one.

Special thanks to Scitech Daily. To read the entire article, click here.


© Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurist. 1.336.210.3548 or https://hermangroup.com. To sign up, visit https://HermanTrendAlert.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc."

HEAR JOYCE SPEAK TOMORROW AT 11:30 AM EDT
Tomorrow morning, Joyce will be a Fireside Chat Speakers at the Brightside Business Women Empowerment Virtual Conference where she will talk about how business women can use the insights from her new, groundbreaking book, EXPERIENCE RULES, to be successful. Register for FREE at https://brightsideglobaltrade.org/women.

GET COACHING FOR YOUR PEOPLE FOR LESS THAN $1/DAY!
Gain access to dozens of coaches for the same low price. Find out more by visiting https://ingomu.com/joyceg

JOYCE IS ON THE RADIO EVERYDAY NOW
To listen to Joyce's TV shows on the radio, simply visit RadioFutures.com. Joyce's show is streaming every day at 3:00PM Pacific Time.

To read this Herman Trend Alert on the web: https://hermangroup.com/alert/archive_3-29-2023.html.


Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers.

New subscribers are always welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is read by over 30,000 people in 90 countries, including other websites and printed periodicals. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert.

Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Herman Trend Alert service.


Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert
View this week's Herman Trend Alert
Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         


[ Home · About · Products · Resources · Media ]

 

7112 Viridian Lane
Austin, TX 78739
Voice: 336-210-3548
Toll Free in US & Canada: 800-227-3566
E-mail: info@hermangroup.com


  © The Herman Group. All rights reserved.

Web site design by WebEditor Design Services, Inc.