The paper by David B. Lobell and Christopher B. Field examines the impact of global climate trends on the yields of six major crops: wheat, rice, maize, soybeans, barley, and sorghum. Using empirical and statistical models, they find that simple measures of growing season temperatures and precipitation explain about 30% or more of the year-to-year variations in global average yields for these crops. Specifically, for wheat, maize, and barley, there is a clear negative response to increased temperatures, leading to annual combined losses of approximately 40 million tons or $5 billion per year since 1981. While these impacts are relatively small compared to technological yield gains, they demonstrate the negative effects of climate trends on global crop yields. The study also highlights the importance of adapting cropping systems to mitigate the adverse effects of warming, as farmers' adaptations can offset some of the negative impacts. The results suggest that recent climate trends have likely offset some of the yield gains from technological advances and rising CO2 levels, with a small net effect on yields.The paper by David B. Lobell and Christopher B. Field examines the impact of global climate trends on the yields of six major crops: wheat, rice, maize, soybeans, barley, and sorghum. Using empirical and statistical models, they find that simple measures of growing season temperatures and precipitation explain about 30% or more of the year-to-year variations in global average yields for these crops. Specifically, for wheat, maize, and barley, there is a clear negative response to increased temperatures, leading to annual combined losses of approximately 40 million tons or $5 billion per year since 1981. While these impacts are relatively small compared to technological yield gains, they demonstrate the negative effects of climate trends on global crop yields. The study also highlights the importance of adapting cropping systems to mitigate the adverse effects of warming, as farmers' adaptations can offset some of the negative impacts. The results suggest that recent climate trends have likely offset some of the yield gains from technological advances and rising CO2 levels, with a small net effect on yields.