Mark Hertsgaard Explain at three changes you can make to your lifestyle The End of Pasta that lessens your impact on the environment Temperatures are rising. Rainfalls are shifting. Droughts are intensifying. What will we eat when wheat won’t grow. A world without pasta seems inconceivable. Mac-and-cheese-loving children across the United States would howl in protest. Italy might suffer a cultural heart attack. Social unrest could explode in northern China, where noodles are the main staple. Wheat stands to fare the worst in the years ahead, for it is the grain most vulnerable to high temperatures. (Ryan Mcvay / Iconica-Getty Images) But if humans want to keep eating pasta, we will have to take much more aggressive action against global warming. Pasta is made from wheat, and a large, growing body of scientific studies and real-world observations suggest that wheat will be hit especially hard as temperatures rise and storms and drought intensify in the years ahead. Hurricane Sandy’s recent devastation of New York and neighboring states reminded Americans of what Hurricane Katrina demonstrated in 2005: global warming makes weather more extreme, and extreme weather can be extremely dangerous. But flooding coastlines aren’t our only worry. Climate change is also imperiling the very foundation of human existence: our ability to feed ourselves. Three grains—wheat, corn, and rice—account for most of the food vulnerable to high humans consume. All three are already suffering from climate change, but temperatures. That spells wheat stands to fare the worst in the years ahead, for it is the grain most trouble not only for pasta but also for bread, the most basic food of all. (Pasta is made from the durum variety of Highlight new vocabulary wheat, while bread is generally made from more Make notes/ comments about what you read common varieties, such as red spring.) Questions: is a cool-season crop. “Wheat What is the author’s intended audience? High temperatures are negative for its growth and What is the author’s purpose? quality, no doubt about it,” says Frank Manthey, a What information surprised you the most? professor at North Dakota State University who advises Do Americans assume some responsibility for others living half a world the North Dakota Wheat away? Explain your response Commission. Already, a mere
Mark Hertsgaard The End of Pasta Temperatures are rising. Rainfalls are shifting. Droughts are intensifying. What will we eat when wheat won’t grow. A world without pasta seems inconceivable. Mac-and-cheese-loving children across the United States would howl in protest. Italy might suffer a cultural heart attack. Social unrest could explode in northern China, where noodles are the main staple. Wheat stands to fare the worst in the years ahead, for it is the grain most vulnerable to high temperatures. (Ryan Mcvay / Iconica-Getty Images) But if humans want to keep eating pasta, we will have to take much more aggressive action against global warming. Pasta is made from wheat, and a large, growing body of scientific studies and real-world observations suggest that wheat will be hit especially hard as temperatures rise and storms and drought intensify in the years ahead. Hurricane Sandy’s recent devastation of New York and neighboring states reminded Americans of what Hurricane Katrina demonstrated in 2005: global warming makes weather more extreme, and extreme weather can be extremely dangerous. But flooding coastlines aren’t our only worry. Climate change is also imperiling the very foundation of human existence: our ability to feed ourselves. Three grains—wheat, corn, and rice—account for most of the food humans consume. All three are already suffering from climate change, but wheat stands to fare the worst in the years ahead, for it is the grain most Highlight new vocabulary Make notes/ comments about what you read Questions: What is the author’s intended audience? What is the author’s purpose? What information surprised you the most? Do Americans assume some responsibility for others living half a world away? Explain your response Explain at three changes you can make to your lifestyle that lessens your impact on the environment vulnerable to high temperatures. That spells trouble not only for pasta but also for bread, the most basic food of all. (Pasta is made from the durum variety of wheat, while bread is generally made from more common varieties, such as red spring.) “Wheat is a cool-season crop. High temperatures are negative for its growth and quality, no doubt about it,” says Frank Manthey, a professor at North Dakota State University who advises the North Dakota Wheat Commission. Already, a mere
AoW.pastashortage.docx