The fruits of summer could be only a memory, lost to climate change
Is there anything better than summer strawberries and peaches so sun-ripened and juicy that you have to eat them over the kitchen sink as the juice runs down your chin? These are two joys that define summer for many Americans, myself included. Sadly, climate change is relegating those joys this year to days gone by, joys that we may eventually recall as “remember when” moments.
I was in the Hudson Valley of New York, the area where I was born and raised in a farming community, for two weeks in early June this year. It should have been the height and glory of strawberry pick-your-own season. It wasn’t.
I Googled for pick-your-own farms near by Airbnb. There were many, and all of them were closed with the same sad message: “We lost our crop this year due to weather conditions and will not be open to the public.” This has happened across the country to this crop that is widely grown and celebrated, from North Carolina, to Minnesota, to the Hudson Valley. In California, the growing season is now a full 3 months shorter. All of these losses are driven by climate change.
Georgia, the Peach State, is on the verge of becoming the not-a-peach-in-sight state. The markets all over the country should be flooded with Georgia peaches by now. They aren’t. Because of climate change, the state has lost 90% of its peach crop. And what’s left will mostly go to canning because the fresh peaches are terrible quality. A balmy winter caused an early blossoming, and then a late spring frost destroyed them.
90% of peaches in Georgia. 100% loss for some strawberry farmers. Think about that. Think of all the farmers, groceries, restaurants, and festival organizers that count on that crop for their livelihood, to say nothing of consumers like me who look forward to these summer delights every year. Climate change is wicked, and it’s destroying livelihoods and culture in this country.
But all is not lost. We need to pump investment and innovation into farming methods. How can we protect fields? How else and where else can we grow these crops to protect them? Is indoor vertical farming an option? Hydroponics? Greenhouses? Can we create a more weather-resistant and pest-resistant fruit that is safe for consumption? These are the types of questions that we need to talk about, openly and honestly and as often as needed to get them answered.
In the U.S., conversations about climate change and sustainability are polarizing because politicians have turned these terms into political weapons. Food, however, brings people together and forges unity. Can we put politics aside, and come together because we want to protect what we love, what brings us joy and prosperity, regardless of our political party affiliations?
For this summer, it’s too late. For the future, we still have a small amount of time to right the ship. Let’s get around the proverbial and literal table, break bread, and find a way forward, together, with fruit in-hand.