Climate change posing threat to beer

Global warming is threatening worldwide beer production, an international group of researchers has claimed.

Rising temperatures could cause global production of barley, a key ingredient in beer, to drop by as much as 17%, making beer both scarce and pricey.

In a study published in the Nature Plants journal on Monday, scientists predicted that droughts in barley growing regions could slap £15 on the price of a six-pack of beer.

If emissions of heattrapping gases from the burning of coal, oil and gas continue at the current rate, the likelihood of weather conditions hurting barley production will increase from about once a decade before 2050 to once every other year by the end of the century.

The study stated that barley growing regions including the northern Great Plains of the US, the Canadian prairies, Europe, Australia, and the Asian steppe are all likely to experience more frequent droughts in years to come as a result of global warming.