Naked Capitalism Link of the Day

Today's link: Climate Shifts 'hit global wheat yields,' at the BBC.  This is a recap of the posts here and here.  From the BBC story:

The team carried out a large statistical analysis that tried to isolate the effects of temperature and precipitation on crops, independent of all other factors such as changes in technology and land management.

Wheat and corn are the staple crops that are most affected by changes in temperature

"We can see how much these variables affect crops... for example, for a crop like wheat, a degree (Celsius) of warming on a global average translates to about a 5% loss in production."
Professor Lobell said the study only referred to past relationships, as extrapolating the findings to predict future trends would require a number of assumptions to be made.
"In particular, you have to assume how non-linear the response will be and how different the crops of tomorrow will be from the crops of today," he said.

Population growth and energy consumption is straining agricultural resources, adding increasing global temperatures to the mix could very easily lead to catastrophe.

Other links of note include a story on the right-wing campaign to destroy the public schools, and a solar device to sterilize medical equipment.  A daily visit to Yves Smith's naked capitalism site is highly recommended.