• Long, S.P.; Ainsworth, E.A.; Leakey, A.D. B.; Nosberger, J.; and D.R. Ort. "Food for Thought: Lower-Than- Expected Crop Yield Stimulation with Rising CO2 Concentrations." Science 312(5782): 1918-1921. 30 June 2006.

Some climate models project that rising carbon dioxide levels will facilitate plant growth through increased fertilization and offset any negative ramifications of climate change to crop yield. However, a new study by Long et al. produces findings of significantly dampened crop yield under scenarios of higher carbon dioxide levels. The scientists rely on an experiment employing the free-air concentration enrichment technology (FACE), which releases carbon dioxide at different points along a 20- meter diameter plot in the field. Exposing major grain crop types to enhanced carbon dioxide levels, they find that by 2050 the crop yield is 50 percent less than earlier studies exploring crop growth in warming conditions.

Implications: The authors state that given the results from the FACE experiments, grain crops will not flourish as much as previously thought. Moreover, increased carbon dioxide fertilization may not be able to outweigh the negative ramifications for global food supply, as crop yield will likely suffer under future climate regimes.

• United Nations Development Programme. 2006. Human Development Report 2006. Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the Global Water Crisis.

The 2006 UN Human Development Report is dedicated to the global water crisis -- one that the Millennium Development Goals attempts to address. While there are multiple factors in water source degradation, climate change is among the most critical. The report notes that water-stressed areas will be further challenged by climate change as precipitation patterns vary with rising global temperatures. Extreme events, such as flooding, will increasingly become the norm, as will unpredictable water sources. The report draws particular attention to a projected rapid decline in water availability in East Africa, with concomitant loss of up to 33 percent maize supply, 20 percent sorghum, and 18 percent millet, resulting in 75-125 million additional people suffering from hunger. In addition, it notes the projected continued glacial melting throughout South America, southern Asia, and East Asia; the alteration of monsoon patterns in southern Asia; and the saltwater intrusion into freshwater delta systems as sea level rises. The report states that current climate adaptation support is "piecemeal" and "woefully inadequate" and includes some recommendations for addressing the global water crisis, including a call for an increase in adaptation funds and a bolstering of water management strategies.

Implications: According to the report, over 1 billion people lack access to clean water, and 2.6 billion do not have sufficient sanitation. In addition, the report notes that the water crisis is the second largest factor in childhood mortality, and 1.8 million children die every year because of water-borne diseases and inadequate sanitation.