Pakistan is one of the cotton-growing countries experiencing extreme weather hazards.
Climate change consequences, ranging from higher temperatures to greater droughts and floods, endanger a large portion of the world’s cotton crop. Rising heat is expected to reduce the growing seasons of 40% of cotton-producing countries by 2040, while drought may affect half of the worldwide crop.
To protect the $12 billion market in nations such as India, the United States, Brazil, and China, emissions must be reduced to prevent global warming while also adjusting to new dangers.
The cotton sector is unprepared for the challenge posed by climate change. Pakistan is one of the cotton-growing countries experiencing extreme weather hazards.
According to Sally Uren, CEO of Cotton 2040, the new research should act as a “wake-up call for the cotton sector.” Crop losses are proving especially difficult for millions of developing-world cotton farmers, who account for around 90% of the world’s growers. While producers are becoming increasingly conscious of rising climate threats, few firms that rely on cotton for their goods are well-versed in these issues.
Northern Sudan, Senegal, and southern Mali in Africa, as well as sections of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, are cotton-growing areas suffering some of the most severe weather threats. Efforts to adapt to changing circumstances, such as altering planting dates, increasing irrigation, and giving farmers with climate projections, might help some farmers deal better, according to the research.
However, unless emissions are reduced, some cotton-growing areas would become unfit for the crop in the future, according to Uren.
