Climate Change is Making Rollercoaster Harvests the New Normal

A new global study led by the University of British Columbia shows that hotter and drier conditions are making food production more volatile, with crop yields swinging more sharply from year to year. For some, it may mean pricier burgers; for others, it can bring financial strain and hunger.

Published in Science Advances, the study, "Climate change increases the interannual variance of summer crop yields globally through changes in temperature and water supply," is the first to show on a global scale how climate change is affecting yield swings of three of the world's most important food crops: corn, soybean and sorghum.