What’s That? Monsanto Says Global Warming is Real?

Where have I been? Did you know that a few months back Monsanto scientists confirmed that global warming is real? Well, it’s true.

Apparently, Monsanto’s board of directors asked the company’s scientists to check into this whole global warming thing and find out whether it is real. And, if it did turn out to be real, they also wanted to know if global warming could have a harmful effect on crops.

Not surprisingly for those who dwell in the thinking world, the scientists answered “Yes” to both questions. Also not surprisingly, there were no headlines screaming “World is Screwed: Even Monsanto Says So!” There is, however, a good article by David Gustafson, one of the Monsanto scientists, in the June issue of Pest Management Science. I’m betting that it wasn’t widely read, though.

I found out about Gustafson’s article today when reading Don Shelby’s story on the subject in MinnPost. In addition to relaying what Gustafson had to say when reached by phone at his office, Shelby offers quotes like this one from the scientist’s research article:  “Crop productivity is expected to increase slightly owing to climate factors at mid to high latitudes until mid-century when excess heat will begin to harm yield…after mid-century, crops in all world areas are expected to be negatively impacted by changes in rainfall patterns – not only in terms of drought, but also in terms of heavy precipitation events and the increased frequency of storms.”

Sound familiar? Many scientists have been saying for years that global warming will mean temperature and weather changes. Gustafson confirms those conclusions stressing that heat and changes in rainfall – drought to floods – will cause the most problems for farmers.

Honestly, it’s not like there’s all that much new news here. What’s newsworthy is the source. Is it me, or is there something particularly unnerving about having Monsanto come right out and say: “Yep, looks like we’re in for a heap of trouble with this global warming thing.” Those Sierra Club hippies may have been saying this for years. But this is Monsanto. Makes you wonder what they’ve got up their sleeve.

Get yourself a drink, or a nice piece of cake. Here’s another excerpt from Shelby’s story. This time, he’s relaying a bit of what Gustafon said when they talked on the phone: “We approached this very humbly,” Gustafson told me. “We see this as a challenge; not just to the ag sector, but to everyone. Personally, I try to keep this out of the political and business realm and focus on it as a scientific fact. We are just trying to get people to address this problem. We think it is very significant.”

Well said.