Agriculture: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change for the United States

This volume reports the results of a rigorous and quantitative assessment of the impacts of climate change on US agriculture. It advances work on climate impacts by using scenarios from state-of-the-art climate models. It describes the forces likely to shape US agriculture over the next century, including policy and economic issues, and their interaction with climate change. It offers directions for future research and implications of climate change for agricultural policy. The basic findings are that climate change is positive for agriculture production although southern parts of the US could be harmed. Negative consequences of climate change include effects on pesticide use, run-off of nutrients into coastal areas, and potential regional conflicts for some groundwater sources. This authoritative assessment will be accessible to a broad readership of students, researchers, and policymakers.

1. Introduction and goals of the assessment; 2. Assessment approach: building on existing knowledge; 3. Impacts of climate change on production agriculture and the US economy; 4. Impacts of variability on agriculture; 5. Agriculture and the environment: interactions with climate; 6. Summary and implications.

This authoritative volume reports the results of a rigorous and quantitative assessment of the impacts of climate change on US agriculture over the twenty-first century. It will be accessible to a broad readership of students, researchers, and policymakers.