Being English it will come as no surprise to hear that the weather is one of my favorite topics of conversation. With my love of sunnier climes and loathing of the wind and rain for which the UK is well known, I often think I was born in the wrong country.
But after a series of 30oC weekends and some serious use of my new barbecue, it seems all may not be lost for my homeland. This summer has been one of the driest in recent history in the UK – and experts suggest the improved summertime conditions could be here to stay.
But at what price? Over the course of recent months the incidence of 'wacky' weather (as put by one industry observer) has once again fueled the debate over the impact global warming is having on our climate.
According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the planet has never been as hot as it has been in the first half of this year, and in a warming planet extreme weather conditions are likely to become longer and more intense.
At the beginning of 2010, the earthquake in Chile and volcanic eruptions in Iceland to Latin America pointed towards the rising temperatures in our Earth’s core.
And, more recently, wildfires and drought in Russia; flooding in Pakistan, China and eastern Europe; heatwaves across North America and western Europe; and a polar cold front in South America have all demonstrated the strange course the weather has been taking.
The knock-on effect on the produce trade has been two-pronged. On the one hand, the direct impact on crops in some countries has lead to shorter outputs, bigger or smaller sizes and quality implications. While on the other, the change in seasonal patterns in some key markets have influenced consumer demand for certain produce items.
If recent trends continue, experts warn that the produce trade may have to start seriously preparing for more than simple temperature changes. What is for sure is that more research is needed into regional and seasonal climate changes.
Typically, of course, this week the heavens have opened in the UK, so while the plants in my garden are happily soaking up the moisture, I’m off to a little island in the Mediterranean Sea for a drier outlook.
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