University of Hamburg presents latest findings on climate change

“Our models show that global warming reaches 2 degrees Celsius, four or more of the most important maize growing regions could be simultaneously effected by heat and drought every 14 years — with potentially devastating consequences for people and nature,” said Victoria Dietz, climate physicist and lead author of the study. If such extreme events were to occur simultaneously in many of the central granaries, there would be significantly less maize available worldwide, said Leonard Bochert, co-author University of Hamburg. “Our work shows how urgent it is to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius.” Local adaptations and more resistant plant varieties are needed to be prepared for heat and drought, he added.