Not so. The scientists were way ahead of me. They had already calculated the appeal of their study. They had talked, over beer, of course, about researching the effect of extreme climate events on what they called “luxury essentials.” Their idea was that the people in rich countries might, rightly, think that possible food shortages and severe economic dislocation would have the greatest impact on the poorest people and nations. They might think that their own lives would not be seriously disturbed.

But, if a beloved alcoholic beverage were at risk, that might catch the attention of the residents of relatively rich countries like the United States and Britain. They might not starve, but sports fans do not live by pizza alone.

So the researchers chose to look at what droughts and heat caused by a changing climate would do to barley, which is a main ingredient of most beers, and which is sensitive to heat and drought. The results were as they expected. Extreme climate events would hurt the barley supply, which would raise beer prices and cause shortages.

Dabo Guan, the researcher I spoke to, talked about the dread possibility of not having a pint at hand when you were watching football. I think, since he is at the University of East Anglia, he may have meant soccer. But the principle is the same, whatever kind of ball is involved.

I did feel a bit as if I had been hooked by publicity-savvy researchers. But the analysis made sense and checked out with another expert, so it was still a good story.

And there was one area where they were not as aware of the political context as they might have been. Dr. Guan mentioned that he hoped that the news might catch the eye of President Trump and affect his views on the Paris climate accord. Mr. Trump has threatened to withdraw from the agreement.

“I don’t know,” I said. “You know, he is a teetotaler.”

You can read the full story here.