CEO DATELINE - Brewers Association on climate change and beer: Don't panic
CEO DATELINE - Brewers Association on climate change and beer: Don't panic
- October 18, 2018 |
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Walt Williams
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A new study concluded that beer prices could double in coming decades because of climate change, but an association representing small- to medium-sized brewers said innovations in the industry are likely to keep that from happening.
The report by a team of researchers in China, the U.K. and U.S. found that barley production will likely drop as the climate shifts and farmers struggle to grow the crop in hotter and drier conditions, NPR reported. Barley is a key ingredient in beer and as the crop becomes scarce beer prices will rise, with some countries seeing the average price of brews double or even triple. https://n.pr/2OuLNx2
However, the Brewers Association poured some cold beer on that conclusion in a recent analysis on its website. The industry group said brewers are preparing for climate change and barley production is already shifting geographically along with weather patterns.
The study "is largely an academic exercise and not one that brewers or beer lovers should lose any sleep over," the authors of the analysis said.
In North America, barley production has gradually migrated north since 1945 as a result of multiple factors, including changing climate and competition with other crops, the authors said. Barley production has also increased dramatically in that time.
In addition, the authors of BA's analysis noted the association is backing several research projects aimed at ensuring the survivability of barley as the climate changes, while the industry itself is moving ahead with several environmental sustainability initiatives.
"None of the above should be taken as a suggestion that climate change does not pose a serious challenge for any industry that is built on agricultural inputs. … However, as the data above show, given the historical record, beer is as well positioned as any industry to evolve and thrive even as the climate changes," they said. http://bit.ly/2Cqz8nJ
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