Agricultural scientists link global warming to human activity, say trouble for farming has already begun

Three allied agricultural-science groups, with a total of more than 10,000 members, say the Earth is warming, and partly because of human activity. In other words, they believe in anthropogenic climate change.

The American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America said “A comprehensive body of scientific evidence indicates beyond reasonable doubt that global climat change is now occurring,” and “Increases in ambient temperatures and changes in related processes are directly linked to rising anthropogenic greenhouse-gas concentrations in the atmosphere.”

The groups warn that climate change could have big impacts on agriculture and “ecosystem services” such as pollination, erosion control and natural pest management. "In fact, the groups say, changes in temperature have already begun to affect crops, water availability, and pests in some areas," the Washington newsletter Agri-Pulse reports. Agri-Pulse is subscription-only, but offers a four-issue trial subscription.

The Economist, which calls itself a newspaper but is arguably the world's best magazine, had a cover story, multimedia presentation and lead editorial last week welcoming readers to the Anthropocene Epoch, a new geologic age of man. "It is one of those moments where a scientific realisation, like Copernicus grasping that the Earth goes round the sun, could fundamentally change people’s view of things far beyond science," the editortial says. "It means more than rewriting some textbooks. It means thinking afresh about the relationship between people and their world and acting accordingly." The package generated a lot of letters.