TOKYO, March 2 — Japan’s average temperature is projected to rise by up to 5.4 degrees Celsius by 2099, which could cause more frequent natural disasters and wreak havoc on agriculture, a recent report by the environment ministry said.
The report called for a long-term plan for dealing with some impacts of climate change, including on agriculture.
The report foresees a decline in rice yield and quality. Rice production will continuously decrease by the end of this century under almost any climate change scenario, it said.
It also noted the weather might become hotter, wetter or, perhaps, even colder in Japan. That would make plant diseases and pests move into regions where they have never been a problem before.
Therefore, the report said, climate change may force farmers to abandon previously reliable crops such as Satsuma mandarins, vine and apples.
The government will submit climate change-related legislation to Japan’s parliament, the Diet in this session to promote ways to cope with and reduce damage from global warming at the national and the local level.