Opinion

Save the planet — and beer

Climate change is threatening to end the flow of beer in the U.S. and around the world. Isn’t that reason enough to finally begin climate action? Climate change is threatening to end the flow of beer in the U.S. and around the world. Isn’t that reason enough to finally begin climate action? Photo: Michaela Handrek-Rehle /Bloomberg Photo: Michaela Handrek-Rehle /Bloomberg Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Save the planet — and beer 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

When you see the trope “hold my beer” you immediately think that something immature, foolish and dangerous is about to happen.

This certainly can be said of the lack of action being taken by our political leaders to address the climate crisis. It is immature of our leaders when we have to look to our youth to recognize what an adult call for action should be. It is foolish to sit idly while our planet burns and our ocean is ravaged by pollution. And it is most certainly dangerous to our maintaining a habitable ecosystem that permits humans to continue to advance as a species.

Given all the data and information in the many Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, and in light of the Oct. 2 editorial “Hotter, drier: What future holds for city,” I’d like to add another wrinkle. The future of our favorite malted barley and hops beverage — beer!

Brewing beer relies on a humble grain cultivated by humans for more than 10,000 years. Barley is grown primarily in cooler climates, with Idaho, Montana and North Dakota leading U.S. production.

As our global climate warms, projections for barley-producing regions include damaging heat waves and droughts, and a reduction in yields of 17 percent (winter barley) to 33 percent (spring barley).

Since barley is also important for livestock feed, a reduction in supply means greater competition between livestock and beer, and the brewers will not win that fight. A team of scientists from China, Britain, the U.S. and Mexico recently predicted a resulting 16 percent drop in global beer production by the end of the century, with the potential for a doubling of prices. Some areas reliant on grain imports will be hit even harder; the team calculated a 193 percent increase in beer prices in Ireland, home to some of the best stouts on the planet.

The U.S. also produces nearly half of the world supply of hops, primarily in the Pacific Northwest. If we continue to pump carbon into the atmosphere unabated, drought conditions in the Yakima Valley could become common within 50 years, threatening this valuable U.S. crop.

The best way to safeguard the American beer industry from these long-term threats is the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividends Act (HR 763), the first bipartisan climate bill in a decade. This bill aims to cut carbon pollution 90 percent by the middle of the century, and it is 100 percent revenue-neutral; the government keeps nothing! Virtually all top economists support this approach as a way to reduce emissions while maintaining economic growth. Furthermore, HR 763 has provisions exempting farmers (including barley and hop growers) from rising fossil fuel costs.

Within the U.S. House of Representatives, there is a bipartisan Small Brewers Caucus comprising 234 members from 43 states, and it comes as no surprise that this caucus has endorsed HR 763. Furthermore, a group of 145 breweries in 26 states has signed a declaration calling for support of this bill. Ask your favorite microbrewery to sign on the Brewers Climate Declaration (they can search for this term).

Beer makes up nearly 2 percent of U.S. GDP, with more than 6,000 small breweries in 50 states contributing to communities just like ours. With the emergence of this industry as an economic driver, and also as a way to bring Americans together regardless of affiliation, perhaps beer can be the catalyst that pressures Congress to act on climate.

Stuart Birnbaum is co-leader of the San Antonio Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby.