Rapid climate change likely to erase Ireland’s green and may even threaten potatoes

(Scenic photo of Ireland near the Atlantic coast from Flickr and photographer Pierrette Wiseman)


Ireland’s signature emerald landscape may fade to brown in the next few decades because of global warming, according to a new report by Irish scientists. Since 1980 the temperature in Ireland has increased 3 times faster than the world average. The scientists predict wetter winters and drier summers, which will drastically change the look and feel of the country, the Irish American Climate Project said. About 60% of Ireland is grassland and that will turn dry in summer and fall. The change in climate could even affect the country’s staple, the potato, which needs a steady amount of rain throughout the year. And cattle won’t be able to get by grazing only on grass. Meanwhile, the Irish State Utility has vowed to cut its carbon emissions in half by 2020. (PlanetArk and ClimateWire)

A global warming art exhibit, "Melting Ice / A Hot Topic," opens today at the Field Museum in Chicago. The globe-trotting exhibit, co-sponsored by the UN Environment Programme, is making Chicago its only U.S. stop. Read about it.