Climate Change and American Agriculture: What Have We Learned?

In an effort to assess the threat of climate change to food supply, scientists have spent much energy investigating the complex interactions of climate change and agricultural production. These efforts have led to models that reveal that climate change will bring about both beneficial and detrimental effects on future agricultural output. In this lecture, Penn State geography professor William Easterling explains the evolution of scientific understanding on this topic and focuses on the areas where improvements to existing models can made. In in his conclusion, Easterling states that while current models indicate that agriculture can weather the effects of climate change, many uncertainties remain that could dramatically alter current forecasts.