Few things are as satisfying as a cold beer on a hot day — but in a cruel irony, increasing global temperatures are putting hops production in danger.
What's happening?
British website Beer Today shared the grim news, explaining that Britain's traditional brewing ingredients — both ones grown in England and abroad — are "at risk of being severely diminished" by the warming climate.
The reason for the threat is that as the atmosphere grows hotter, precipitation and weather patterns become more erratic and severe. In Britain, this has led to both hotter, drier summers as well as more rain and floods in autumn and winter. For barley and hops farmers, this spells disaster — both in terms of crop yield and quality. In the more distant future, it could also mean farmers may need to choose to prioritize food over hops, given limited agricultural resources.
Why would a decline in hop production be harmful?
These declines in hops and barley production wouldn't just threaten the cultural brewing heritage unique to Britain — it could potentially eliminate the livelihoods of countless British growers, who have been able to earn their living and contribute to the country's economy for centuries.
Beer Today reported that the British beer and pub industry contributes over £34 billion ($46 billion) to the country's economy, providing and supporting over 1 million jobs.
On the consumer side, it's not much better: If barley and hops production shrinks, the beer supply would shrink and prices would likely skyrocket.
Environmentally, the issue is indicative of an even larger threat. The issues affecting barley and hops production apply to many essential food crops as well as livestock management, and experts fear that without proper actions taken, we could witness a dramatic reduction in food supply in the future.
Beer Today quoted Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association: "This important research couldn't sound the alarm any clearer; we now know the risks climate change poses to our sector.
"More importantly, this should be heeded as a rallying cry that we all need to pull together and collaborate so we can protect our unique heritage and homegrown crops. … We must act to preserve and protect this proud tradition by everyone in the supply chain meaningfully working together."
What's being done to protect the hops industry?
Beer Today included key recommendations from a recent report, which was commissioned by the BBPA along with the Zero Carbon Forum. Researchers made a call for "urgent collaboration" among both public and private stakeholders in order to safeguard Britain's domestic production of barley and hops.
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No way 👎 Their recommendations included imperatives for both farmers and policymakers. On the farming side, they suggested switching to climate-resistant crop varieties as well as incorporating improved irrigation and regenerative farming techniques for a more sustainable approach.
On the policy side, the report advised factoring climate change's long-term impacts into both domestic and trade policy development and regulations. They also urged government leaders to fund research for other climate-adaptation measures, such as engineering enhanced drought resistance in crops. Similarly, other groups are looking to streamline and decarbonize farming operations to reduce harmful carbon pollution.
"If we are to ensure our brewing industry is resilient enough to cope with drier summers and wetter winters, proactive steps are required," said Bob Gordon, director of the Zero Carbon Forum. "These steps must be taken together. Challenges on this scale require strong collaboration."
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