There are those who still think that the climate crisis only translates into a slight increase in thermometers and little else. But according to hundreds of thousands of studies, this crisis has already It affects practically all spheres of the life of humans, animals and even ecosystems. A study published this Tuesday in the scientific journal ‘Nature’ points out nothing more and nothing less than the Beer is also among the collateral victims of climate change. If this continues, experts warn, the production of hop necessary to make this drink, as well as the compound that gives it its characteristic bitter taste, could decrease drastically in the next thirty years.
The research, led by the Czech Academy of Sciences, draws the following forecast. In the current context of climate crisis, and taking into account the forecasts on how this phenomenon will advance in the coming decades throughout the European territory, it is expects a decrease of between 4% and 18% in production of aromatic hops and, on the other hand, a drop of between 20% and 31% of the compounds that give the characteristic bitter taste of beer.
Spain could suffer a 35% decrease in hop production
Among the main people affected by this phenomenon countries like Spain stand out, where a decline of up to 35% in hop production could be experienced in just a few decades. They also highlight the case ofe Germany and Sloveniawhich currently stand out as the two largest producers in the world of both hops and beer.
Historical loss
The analysis also shows how in recent decades the continent’s large beer producers are already suffering from a loss of productivity derived from the climate crisis. You only need to look at how the harvest of these plants has changed in the last fifty years to realize this. “Right now, compared to what happened before 1994, hop ripening begins 20 days earlier and production has decreased almost 0.2 tons per hectare and year,” explains the team led by researcher Martin Mozny.
“The maturation of hops begins 20 days earlier and their production has decreased by almost 0.2 tons per hectare and year”
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In the last year, without going any further, there have already been several producer associations that have warned of losses greater than 30% due to the impact of drought on the continent. There have also been warnings about how the current situation could make the cultivation of certain varieties of hops even more difficult and, thus, affect the production of certain brands (or flavors) of this popular drink.
Seeing the current panorama and, above all, with a view to what could happen in the future, experts demand to draw a roadmap to protect hop crops and save beer in the face of the climate crisis. Among the proposed measures, for example, the cultivation of varieties more resistant to inclement weather stands out; improvement in cultivation practices and irrigation practices; and the protection of crops from extremes of both climate and temperature.