A November 18 article by Atlanta News First (ANF) claims that climate change is affecting Georgia’s farmers and the restaurants that depend on local produce. This is demonstrably false. Empirical data of temperature and crop yields refute the claim.
The article written by Abby Kousouris, titled “Georgia farmers, restaurant owners say climate change threatens way of life,” pushes the narrative that climate change is uniformly warming the planet and adversely affecting agriculture. This claim, though often asserted by climate alarmists, is specifically debunked by regional climate and crop data.
Contrary to the widespread assertion that global warming is causing uniform temperature increases, data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicate that the Southeastern United States has experienced a cooling trend over recent decades. This phenomenon, often linked to the polar vortex, has led to colder winters in the region, defying the generalized warming narrative. As reported by Forbes, “Defying Climate Change, Southeast U.S. Is Getting Colder Instead of Warmer via Polar Vortex.” This cooling trend challenges the premise that warming temperatures are responsible for agricultural difficulties in Georgia.
The article suggests that climate change is threatening Georgia’s peach industry. Yet, in 2024, Georgia experienced one of its most successful peach harvests to date. According to the Georgia Peach Council, growers anticipated shipping approximately 3 million boxes, or 75 million pounds, of peaches, marking a 25% increase over a typical crop. This substantial yield contradicts the claim that climate change is detrimentally impacting peach production in the state.
A sharp decline in Georgia peach production in 2023 came in the aftermath of a late-season freeze, the very type of weather event that is projected to become more infrequent as the planet modestly warms. […]
— Read More: wattsupwiththat.com
