Climate & environment

Climate change

Worst wine harvest in 62 years – worse than expected

Sofia Eriksson/TT

Published 2024-04-29 19.02

 
A problem in California in the US is that the harvest season for the area's winemakers overlaps with the fire season. Archive image. Photo: Noah Berger/AP/TT

The wine industry is struggling against headwinds. The biggest culprit behind declining production is climate change – but demand for wine has also fallen sharply, according to the international industry organization OIV.

Not since 1996 has so little wine been drunk in the world as during last year.

At least not if a new report from the industry organization OIV is to be believed, which finds the explanation in the fact that wine has become more expensive as a result of inflation and geopolitical tensions, which have already hit consumers' purchasing power hard.

In addition, demand for wine fell sharply in China, which is seen as an effect of the country's economic slowdown. The Portuguese, French and Italians, on the other hand, are still the world's biggest wine drinkers per capita.

Reduced consumption

Last year, global wine consumption was 221 million hectoliters, a decrease of 2.6 percent from 2022. One hectoliter is equivalent to 133 standard wine bottles.

Sweden imported 2 million hectoliters of wine last year, a decrease of 7.3 percent from 2022. A quarter was boxed wine, making Sweden one of the world's largest importers of bag-in-box.

Total world wine production fell by 10 percent last year, according to the OIV, which mainly blames drought, fires, torrential rains, heat and other extreme weather events expected to become more common as a result of climate change. Outbreaks of fungal diseases also cause major problems.

The global wine harvest was the worst since 1961 and the result was even worse than when the OIV made early estimates of the situation in November.

Australia and Italy were worst hit, while wine giant France bucked the trend with a 4 percent increase in harvest.

Biggest challenge

Although climate-related problems cannot explain the entire production loss, it is the sector's biggest challenge for the future, according to OIV director John Barker.

- We know that the grapevine, as a long-lived plant that is often grown in vulnerable areas, is strongly affected by climate change, he says, according to the AFP news agency.

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Climate change could disappear from Florida's 16-year-old law

Christina Nordh

Published 2024-04-30 23.31

The state of Florida is in the danger zone for rising sea levels and extreme weather.

Now a 16-year-old law with climate change as a priority may disappear.

 
Flooding on West Perimeter road in Fort Lauderdale on April 13, 2023, this time due to heavy rains. Photo: David Santiago/AP

The bill awaits the signature of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. In it, the term "climate change" would be deleted from large parts of the state's legislation in favor of energy cost and availability, writes the AP news agency.

"Protecting consumers"

The climate change policy was pushed through by then-governor Charlie Crist, who made a reputation as a Republican who fought to promote renewable energy over fossil fuels. Now that seems to be changing.

- We protect consumers, we protect consumer pricing, we protect them with great reliability and we protect to make sure we don't have a lack of energy security in our state. That's where we're moving in terms of our policies, Republican Representative Bobby Payne said, according to the news agency.

"Going in the wrong direction"

Critics of the bill say it is not the right time to backtrack on climate policy. One of them is Crist, who has now switched parties to the Democrats.

“It's disappointing to see it go in the wrong direction, especially when Florida, with our coastline, is probably the most vulnerable to rising sea levels. I mean, if we don't deal with it – who will? It hurts my heart, Charlie Crist said.

Florida is known for its flat landscape and Miami is only two meters above sea level 

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Extreme weather

Freeway collapsed: Many dead in giant landslide

TT-AFP

Updated 13.54 | Published 07.18

 
Parts of a highway have collapsed in southern China's Guangdong province. Photo: New China/AP/TT

Parts of the highway in southern China's Guangdong province have collapsed.

At least 24 people are dead and about 50 people were injured in the 18-meter-long road collapse between Meizhou and Dabu area, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The witnesses suddenly heard a loud roar and saw how a hole several meters wide opened up, they tell local media. Images on social media show smoke and flames rising from what appears to be a deep pit, into which cars have fallen. Burnt cars are also found at the edge of the pit.

About thirty people are reported to be receiving emergency treatment in hospital and emergency personnel are on the scene.

The cause of the road collapse is said to be the extreme weather in the form of heavy rains, floods, hail and a deadly tornado that hit Guangdong in recent weeks.