Will climate change end wine?

If some world leaders are hesitant about accepting that global warming is real, perhaps now they will listen. According to a report from The Washington Post, climate change is going to affect wine production. The story is entitled: “Goodbye, cabernet sauvignon. How climate change will end wine as we know it.”

If the weather is going to be hotter due to climate change, it will seriously affect agriculture. But that’s something we already know. To be more specific about it, if it becomes two degrees Celsius hotter due to climate change, more than half of the current wine-growing land will be severely affected. If the case is four degrees Celsius hotter, then 85% of the grape plantation will be destroyed. 

News such as this makes an interesting turn because it is not only something that affects the farmers and farm owners. It will also affect wine drinkers. Most of the world’s wine drinkers are also from developed countries. According to statistica.com, Americans consumed the most wine at 33 hectoliters in 2018. That same year, France consumed 26.8 hectoliters. The top five is completed by Italy (22.4 hectoliters), Germany (20 hectoliters), and China (18 hectoliters).

It is quite ironic that the country with the largest consumption of wine is headed by a president who is skeptical about climate change. President Donald Trump infamously announced that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Finance industry

In a better development, the financial industry is becoming more open to discussing the issue of climate change. At the World Economic Forum, International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva admitted that she had been studying the global climate crisis. 

For the longest time, it was hard to push the issue of global warming in the financial sector as its main goal has always been to make money. But Georgieva said that practices have to change. She is pushing for the implementation of the carbon tax around the world. Climate change preparedness will also be integrated into how a nation’s fiscal situation will be measured. 

The main problem with the financial sector was that banks provide financial backing to companies that use fossil fuels in their operations. The support of world leaders and economic authorities will certainly provide a new light to the fight against climate change.

New Jersey

The State of New Jersey has just taken the lead of making climate change an important aspect of development. Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order, which will force all entities involved in the processing of building and infrastructure permits to look at climate change properties before construction is allowed. This means that companies will be forced to check their carbon footprint before lobbying for permits. 

The order, though, won’t be finalized in at least two years. While environmentalists may see this as a step in the right direction, New Jersey Republicans balked at the attempt to make block development in the state. 

While the leaders are bickering over climate change issues, some smaller organizations are actively pursuing environmental goals.

T-shirts with a cause

Manakin Dance is a company that manufactures statement T-shirts, hoodies, and tote bags. The statements are all in support of the environment as the world faces grave problems like climate change, animal trafficking, and habitat destruction. These are the three goals of the company. But the fight against environmental issues is not limited to the statements and designs imprinted on Manakin Dance products. The company actually donates 10% of its profit to the World Wildlife Fund, which is at the forefront of the fight for wilderness protection and conservation.