| Global Warming is something we all hear about. | | | | |
| We hear mention of it on the news, we see | | | | This study, which was funded by the National |
| protests regarding it on college campuses, and we | | | | Science Foundation, Purdue University, and NASA, |
| receive messages about it in our email in-boxes. | | | | took supercomputer calculations over a span of |
| But, most of us don't really understand what it is, | | | | five months, calculating daily temperature swings |
| or we choose to ignore it. However, for those of | | | | contingent on climate-change situations, under the |
| us who are wine drinkers, Global Warming is | | | | assumption that carbon dioxide levels would |
| knocking so hard we are about to have no choice | | | | continue as outlined in the standard Global |
| but to open the cellar door. | | | | Warming scenarios (levels that warn gases will rise |
| | | | to over twice their current levels by 2100). |
| Guide to Global Warming | | | | |
| In a nutshell, Global Warming is the gradual | | | | Because the production of quality grapes is reliant |
| increase of the temperature of the earth's lower | | | | on a balance of the yin and yang of |
| atmosphere. This warming has been increasing | | | | mother-nature, with an easily disturbed equilibrium |
| since the Industrial Revolution, with the prevalence | | | | of hot and cold being a major factor, the change |
| of greenhouse gases. These greenhouse gases | | | | in climate from Global Warming could be |
| trap more heat near the earth, increasing global | | | | detrimental to the ability to make quality wine. |
| temperatures. | | | | And, if the equilibrium was weighed too heavily on |
| | | | one side - with weather that was too hot or too |
| Though Global Warming doesn't sound that bad, | | | | cold - the ability to make grapes could disappear |
| with many people's image of it being that of a | | | | altogether. |
| globe wrapped snuggly in a warm blanket, it's | | | | |
| something that needs to be taken seriously and | | | | Why it Matters |
| it's something that could greatly hinder, and | | | | No one wants to be credited as "that guy" or |
| destroy, the future. The feared long term | | | | "that girl" who helped destroy the earth, |
| impacts include melting of polar ice, causing coastal | | | | unleashing diseases and viruses on the masses. |
| flooding and a rise in sea level; a disruption in the | | | | And, no one wants to be credited as helping to |
| drinking supply, with much of the water supply | | | | destroy wine vineyards, picking grapes off their |
| becoming contingent on snow melts; vast changes | | | | vines and stomping them into oblivion. |
| of agriculture and farming, causing havoc among | | | | |
| the world's crop supplies; extinction of certain | | | | Global Warming, like so many environmental |
| species; and an increase in both tropical storms | | | | threats, is easy to ignore: the fall out from it |
| and tropical diseases. | | | | probably won't be directly felt in our lifetime. |
| | | | However, it will be felt in the lifetime of our |
| And, in regards to wine, Global Warming could | | | | children and our grandchildren. While some people |
| lead to the destruction of many of the vineyards | | | | shrug their shoulders at this notion, we must take |
| across the nation by the end of the century. | | | | into account this reality: if our grandparents left us |
| | | | with a destroyed world, we'd be pretty ticked off. |
| Affect on Wine | | | | And nothing, not even a hefty inheritance, could |
| A new computerized climate study recently | | | | make up for it. |
| released in the journal Proceedings of the National | | | | |
| Academy of Sciences predicted that an increase | | | | What Can be Done |
| in the number of days hotter than 95 degrees | | | | There is no quick fix to stopping Global Warming, |
| during the growing season could sharply reduce | | | | pulling the plug on it is a lengthy process, made up |
| the amount of areas able to produce vintage | | | | of extension cord after extension cord. However, |
| wine-grape production. This would also cause the | | | | there are a few things that can be done to help |
| elimination of vineyards nationwide and cause the | | | | slow the process, and eventually stop it |
| vineyards capable of producing the most | | | | altogether. |
| expensive premium wines to be cut in half. | | | | |