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Indicator Specification

Crop-yield variability

Indicator Specification
  Indicator codes: CLIM 032
Published 08 Sep 2008 Last modified 25 Aug 2017
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Sensitivity of cereal yields to climate change for maize and wheat

Update planned for November 2012

Assessment versions

Published (reviewed and quality assured)
  • No published assessments
 

Rationale

Justification for indicator selection

Climate change introduces new uncertainties for the future of the agricultural sector. Climatic conditions are projected to become more erratic with an increase in the frequency of extreme events (floods, hurricanes, heat waves, severe droughts) (Parry, 2000). Biomass production of plants, and thus crop yields, are fundamentally determined by climatic conditions, i.e. the stable availability of energy (radiation, temperature) and water (rain) to support growth. Other environmental and anthropogenic factors, such as soil fertility, crop varieties and farming practices, also influence crop yields. These factors imply that, in principle, many adaptation options are available to adjust agricultural practices to the changing climate, but that opportunities differ between regions.

Scientific references

  • No rationale references available

Indicator definition

  • Sensitivity of cereal yields to climate change for maize and wheat

Units

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea_report_2008_4/pp111-148CC2008_ch5-7to9_Terrestrial_ecosystems_soil_and_agriculture.pdf

 

Policy context and targets

Context description

In April 2009 the European Commission presented a White Paper on the framework for adaptation policies and measures to reduce the European Union's vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. The aim is to increase the resilience to climate change of health, property and the productive functions of land, inter alia by improving the management of water resources and ecosystems. More knowledge is needed on climate impact and vulnerability but a considerable amount of information and research already exists which can be shared better through a proposed Clearing House Mechanism. The White Paper stresses the need to mainstream adaptation into existing and new EU policies. A number of Member States have already taken action and several have prepared national adaptation plans. The EU is also developing actions to enhance and finance adaptation in developing countries as part of a new post-2012 global climate agreement expected in Copenhagen (Dec. 2009). For more information see: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/adaptation/index_en.htm

Targets

No targets have been specified

Related policy documents

No related policy documents have been specified

 

Data specifications

EEA data references

  • No datasets have been specified here.

External data references

Data sources in latest figures

 

Uncertainties

Methodology uncertainty

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea_report_2008_4/pp193-207CC2008_ch8_Data_gaps.pdf

Data sets uncertainty

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea_report_2008_4/pp193-207CC2008_ch8_Data_gaps.pdf

Rationale uncertainty

No uncertainty has been specified

Further work

Short term work

Work specified here requires to be completed within 1 year from now.

Long term work

Work specified here will require more than 1 year (from now) to be completed.

General metadata

Responsibility and ownership

EEA Contact Info

Hans-Martin Füssel

Ownership

European Environment Agency (EEA)

Identification

Indicator code
CLIM 032
Specification
Version id: 1

Classification

DPSIR: Impact
Typology: Descriptive indicator (Type A - What is happening to the environment and to humans?)

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