Experts consider effects of global warming

ITHACA, N.Y., July 12 (UPI) -- U.S. horticulturists predict farmers will be among the first to experience the effects of global warming as they battle new crop pests and heat stress.

The somber forecast was issued Wednesday by Cornell University Professor David Wolfe as part of a report by the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment Synthesis Team.

The team of experts held news conferences in seven U.S. cities to present analyses of the impact of climate change on various sectors of the economy.

While a warmer climate will produce a longer growing season and the opportunity to experiment with new crops, "it will also open the door to invasion by new and aggressive crop pests, damaging summer heat stress and serious challenges with water management," said Wolfe. "Adapting to change will add economic stress to family farms already stretched to the limit."

The full reports are available at http://www.climatechoices.org. Wolfe's specific study is to be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change.