Record, life-threatning temperatures in Pakistan; record drought in China affecting water supplies, energy and agriculture; severe drought in Europe causing diminished harvests and river levels low enough to hinder important transport; drought in much of England… the list goes on and on. As this year has shown around the world, climate change is upon us. In 2019, before we, the general public, had really begun to grasp the situation, Professor Vivian Moses proposed a series of discussions on climate change and related issues with experts in relevant fields for Talking of Food.

We are all aware of the threat to existence of climate change. But how is climate change measured; how do we know that sea levels are rising, when we look out to sea and see the waves rolling in, every time different because of wind and weather, and we see the tide ebbing and flowing because of the effect of the moon. To help us understand this, Vivian Moses talked to Ross Reynolds, Associate Professor in the Department of Meteorology, Reading University.

We who live in Britain and buy our food here (only 60% of which is grown in the country, with the rest imported) cannot help but be interested in the current state of UK food production and its future prospects. Phil Bicknell, Head of Food & Farming at the National Farmers Union, fields questions from biotechnologist Vivian Moses representing the inquiring British layman.