Scientific Achievements of Climate, Environment and Sustainable Development were published by PNAS

On 6th March，US Eastern time, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United of America published an essay on the influence of climate changes on American agricultural productivity written by Professor Xinzhong Liang, director of the Center for Climate, Environment and Sustainable Development and You Wu, a teacher of School of Economics and Business Management.

 

By 2050, the global population will increase by 2 billion; and only maintaining strong agricultural productivity can meet the demand for    food and water for more than 2 billion people. The study found that the effect of regional climate's change is not only limited to agricultural productivity, but also will be linked to other systems.

 

A major interdisciplinary project supported by the National Science Foundation, Professor Liang is studying the relationship between food energy and water systems in changing climate. The essay predicted that slow productivity in agriculture will promote the change of production selection. For example, peasants who are seriously affected by the areas are likely to reallocate their fields for other functions, while peasants who are less impacted by areas probably increase the amount of planting. These kinds of changes of production selection will affect the availability, water quality, the possibility of alternative biological energy source and even climate system itself and many other factors.

 

The quantitative relationship established between regional climate and national agricultural economy will enable people to better understand the diverse interaction influence of different systems among grain, energy and water resource when climate changes.

 

The research was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Science Foundation, United States, chaired by Professor Liang Xinzhong. Among them, the project of Innovations the Nexus of Food, Energy and water Systems (INFEWS) of National Science Foundation，United States lasted for a period of five years and achieved continuous funding. National Science Foundation of United States has received a total of more than 350 applications, only less than 1/10 of applicants received funding, so the competition is very fierce.

 

Nature published Nature Research Highlights on the web site and in the Paper periodical in March 16th.

 

Please see the paper in：http://www.pnas.org/content/114/12/E2285.full

Nature Research Highlights：http://www.nature.com/articles/n-12115424